Meaning & use
pull factor
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Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
An attractive feature of a place or situation that persuades people to move there or take part.
Grammar: Countable noun, often plural: one pull factor, several pull factors.
Patterns
- a pull factor for someone
- a pull factor in something
Higher wages are a strong pull factor for workers leaving the countryside.
The city's good schools were the main pull factor for young families.
Geography students listed jobs, safety and healthcare as typical pull factors.
Word forms
| plural | pull factors |
|---|
Common combinations
- major pull factor
- Cheap housing was a major pull factor for newcomers.
- economic pull factor
- The chance of steady work is the biggest economic pull factor.
- push and pull factors
- Push and pull factors together explain why people migrate.
- act as a pull factor
- A warm climate can act as a pull factor for retirees.
Synonyms and how they differ
- attraction
- Attraction is a general word for anything appealing, while pull factor is a technical term used in explaining migration or choice.
- incentive
- An incentive is often an offered reward, whereas a pull factor can simply be a natural feature of a place.
- draw
- Draw is informal and often describes a single big event or sight, unlike the analytical pull factor.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: pull factor or push factor?
pull factor vs push factor
A push factor drives people away from where they are, while a pull factor draws them toward somewhere new.
Practice
Which of these is best described as a pull factor for migration?
Choose one answer.
A pull factor is an attraction at the destination, so better jobs there fits. Famine, war and poor schools are push factors that make people leave.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pull factor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.