Does Migration Pay Off in Later Life? Income and Subjective Well-Being of Older Migrants in Europe
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Does Migration Pay Off in Later Life? Income and Subjective Well‑Being of Older Migrants in Europe Stefan Gruber1 · Gregor Sand1 Accepted: 21 September 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract This study examines whether intra-European migration pays off in terms of income and subjective well-being (SWB) for migrants aged 50 + who are now growing old abroad and in what way their SWB is associated with their relative income position. Using panel data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe allows us to go beyond the classical comparison with the native reference group and draw on information about respondents who stayed in the place of origin (‘stayers’). Our findings indicate that migration does pay off in later life. Compared to similar stayers, migrants have higher income and higher SWB levels. Furthermore, we find that older migrants’ SWB is positively associated with their relative income position for those with an income above the income of both stayers in the origin and natives in the destination country. Keywords Migration · Aging · Subjective well-being · CASP · Relative income · SHARE
1 Introduction Within the last decades, an ever-growing number of people all over Europe have settled down in places other than their places of origin. Even though the individual driving forces of migration may differ, the majority of persons who migrate to another country share a common goal: the improvement of their economic living conditions and their well-being. Many intra-European migrants have resided in their destination already for a considerable amount of time. To date, we know little about how these migrants fare in later life. Since the share of migrants has grown continuously among the older population in many countries of the Western hemisphere, migration and aging have become two intertwined research topics (King et al. 2017). As King et al. (2014) note, too little research exists exploring the ‘intersectionalities’ of aging, including those emerging in a migratory setting.
* Stefan Gruber [email protected] Gregor Sand [email protected] 1
Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging, Amalienstrasse 33, 80799 Munich, Germany
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Studying the economic situation and the well-being of the increasing number of older migrants living abroad may serve policy makers to improve and streamline integration policies across Europe. The consequences of moving to another country do not only have an individual but also a societal dimension. Migrants who are satisfied with their living conditions identify more with their destination and acculturate better (Richardson 1967). Additionally, they show more positive attitudes and habits towards the destination country (Johnson and Fredrickson 2005), generally contribute more to society (De Neve et al. 2013), and are less likely to be dependent on the destination country’s welfare and healthcare system (Ivlevs 2014). The last aspect becomes especially relev
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