Emigration as a way out of negative experiences in the post-Soviet reality: subjective reflections on civic participation, labor experience, and emotional state

This article analyzes non-economic reasons for emigration, demonstrating how the situation before emigration might become important for the emigration decision. It aims to examine how migrants’ subjective accounts of civic participation, labor experience, and emotional state are associated with migrant clusters formed based on socioeconomic characteristics. The article discusses structural conditions of the transition period that might have impacted public attitudes and expectations toward the chosen areas of analysis. The research is based on a public poll carried out among Lithuanians who have emigrated to various European countries. The research showed that both civic space and labor environment can become a source of negative emotions.