Why do people decide to change their place of residence? What causes them to pack up their belongings and move their families to try their luck elsewhere, whether in a new city or neighborhood? The Central Bureau of Statistics' Social Survey (for 2008) attempts to answer the question, "What were your main reasons for moving to your current apartment?". The survey questioned adults aged 20 or over who have moved apartments at least once in the last ten years.

The survey shows that the main reasons for moving are: wanting to improve living conditions - whether moving to a better area, a private home or an area with better schools (27% of respondents), family considerations such as a new partner or marriage, children born or leaving home, divorce or separation (27%), and finally, a desire to to move into one's own place (19%). Six percent of respondents said that they moved because of their financial situation – 4% because their situation had worsened and only 2% because it had improved. Other reasons for moving include changing jobs (4%), health reasons (4%), and school (3%).

The majority of respondents who moved out of a desire to improve their quality of life were from Haifa and Rishon Lezion (35% of Haifa residents and 34% of Rishon Lezion residents who participated in the survey and had moved in the past ten years). Not surprisingly, Jerusalem drew the highest number of movers who moved for school-related reasons (6% of Jerusalem residents who participated in the survey as compared with 1% in Tel Aviv and Rishon Lezion and 3% in Haifa). Jerusalem and Tel Aviv stood out in the high proportion of residents who moved into their own apartments – 22% of respondents in Tel Aviv and 21% of respondents in Jerusalem said that they had moved into an apartment of their own, compared with 15% of Haifa and Rishon Lezion residents.