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Life satisfaction of migrants, stayers and returnees: reaping the fruits of migration in old age?

Baykara-Krumme, Helen and Platt, Lucinda ORCID: 0000-0002-8251-6400 (2016) Life satisfaction of migrants, stayers and returnees: reaping the fruits of migration in old age? Ageing and Society. ISSN 0144-686X

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Identification Number: 10.1017/S0144686X16001227

Abstract

This paper evaluates the effects of migration on life satisfaction in later life. We compare the life satisfaction of older migrants with that of non-migrants and return migrants, of a similar age and originating from the same regions in Turkey. Turks constitute one of the largest migrant groups in Europe, and the growing population of older Turkish migrants display greater risks of loneliness and material disadvantage compared to native-born populations in Europe. However, compared to their non-migrant peers from the country of origin, older migrants may experience gains from migration that are reflected in their life satisfaction. Using the 2000 Families study, a large survey of Turkish migrants from the peak labour migration period and their non-migrant comparators, we investigate whether life satisfaction of migrants and stayers differs and the possible causes of any differences. We find that both migrants and return migrants experience higher life satisfaction in old age than stayers. However, the gap cannot be explained by the classical determinants of life satisfaction such as income, health, partner and friends, or religiosity, nor by the better outcomes of the migrants’ children. We discuss possible reasons for this migration satisfaction advantage

Item Type: Article
Official URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ageing-and...
Additional Information: © 2016 Cambridge University Press
Divisions: Social Policy
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
J Political Science > JV Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration
Date Deposited: 03 Nov 2016 16:03
Last Modified: 25 Apr 2024 04:15
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/68223

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