Life (Dis)satisfaction and the Decision to Migrate: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe

Vladimir Otrachshenko and Olga Popova

CERGE-EI Working Papers from The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague

Abstract: This paper provides the first evidence regarding the impact of life satisfaction on the individual intention to migrate. The impact of individual characteristics and country macroeconomic variables on the decision to migrate is analyzed in one framework.Differently from other studies, we allow for life satisfaction to serve as a mediator between macroeconomic variables and the intention to migrate. Using the Eurobarometer Survey for 27 Central Eastern (CEE) and Western European (non-CEE) countries, we test the predictions of our theoretical model and find that dissatisfied with life, people have a higher intention to migrate. The macroeconomic conditions have an effect on the intention to migrate indirectly through life satisfaction. At all levels of life satisfaction, unemployed, middle-aged individuals with a low or average income from urban areas at all levels of education are found to have higher intentions to migrate from CEE countries than from non-CEE countries.

Keywords: life satisfaction; migration; decision making (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I31 J61 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-mig and nep-tra
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Life (dis)satisfaction and the intention to migrate: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe (2014)
Working Paper: Life (dis)satisfaction and the decision to migrate: evidence from Central and Eastern Europe (2012)
Working Paper: Life (Dis)satisfaction and the Decision to Migrate: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cer:papers:wp460

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