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Life Satisfaction of Immigrants and Length of Stay in the New Country

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  • Mare Ainsaar

    (Institute of Social Studies, University of Tartu, 51003 Tartu, Estonia)

Abstract

A large amount of research is dedicated to the measurement of immigration trends and integration processes, but comparative studies of the components of immigrants’ well-being are rare. This paper investigates the link between the length of stay and the subjective well-being (SWB) of immigrants. A step-by-step regression method is used to understand interactions between different individual- and macro-level factors in the life satisfaction of immigrants. The results of the European Social Survey (ESS) show that the effect of length of stay on SWB is mitigated by numerous individual- and country-level variables. After all background variables are considered, newly arrived immigrants and those who have been in the new country for more than 20 years had a similar life satisfaction to that of the local-born population. Immigrants with 10 to 20 years’ experience in the country seem to have lower life satisfaction than the local-born population. The SWB of different immigrant groups is shaped by cultural background, economic coping, number of social contacts, perception of discrimination, and democracy. These factors influence the life satisfaction of migrants with different lengths of stay differently. The most vulnerable immigrant groups in Europe are those from Africa region.

Suggested Citation

  • Mare Ainsaar, 2023. "Life Satisfaction of Immigrants and Length of Stay in the New Country," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-13, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:12:p:655-:d:1287848
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David Bartram, 2011. "Economic Migration and Happiness: Comparing Immigrants’ and Natives’ Happiness Gains From Income," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 103(1), pages 57-76, August.
    2. de Palo, Domenico & Faini, Riccardo & Venturini, Alessandra, 2006. "The Social Assimilation of Immigrants," IZA Discussion Papers 2439, IZA Network @ LISER.
    3. Knight, John & Gunatilaka, Ramani, 2010. "Great Expectations? The Subjective Well-being of Rural-Urban Migrants in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 113-124, January.
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