Life Satisfaction and Migration - What Relationship?

The aim of the paper is to empirically assess if immigrations is a potential predictor of life satisfaction in European countries, considering also other socio-economic determinants. For this purpose, we are using data from the European Quality of Life Survey 2016 implemented by Eurofound. Our results show that immigration, measured here by migrants born in another country, has a net positive impact on subjective well-being, and strictly in this context, migration does not prove to be a threat on well-being. Also, the results suggest that immigration leads to well-being in different ways, more precisely it seems to support a better quality of life for the more privileged and not so much for the less privileged. The statistical and econometrical evaluation of the conection between life satisfaction and other determinants, grouped in categories such as demographical, socio-professional, economical highlights a series of general and specific influences. Subjective well-being, representing eudaimonic well-being, is positively associated with an improvement in the areas of life satisfaction, especially with the standard of living and family life. We also identified positive influence on life satisfaction, in relation to aspects such as the freedom to decide how to live, the efforts made to have a better life or individuals’ own optimism. A very important aspect is a good health, a reduced risk of psychological depression and chronic physical and mental problems.