SNS Research Brief | 11/25/2021
SNS Research Brief 80. The Attitudes and Values of Migrants
11/25/2021
After having lived in Sweden for ten years, immigrants tend to have the same attitudes as other Swedes in terms of the importance of family, leisure and politics. They also adapt their values when it comes to aspects such as religion, social trust, and freedom of choice, albeit at a slower pace. This is shown by economist Olle Hammar in the SNS report “The Attitudes and Values of Migrants.”
In the report, Olle Hammar analyzes survey data on values and attitudes related to individualism and income differences in a global sample of migrants from countries all over the world. His results show that the culture in the country of origin initially affects the views of these migrants about economic inequality and redistribution. Gradually, however, the impact of the culture in their new country starts to take over.
Olle Hammar also presents survey data from the ongoing study Migrant World Values Survey, which includes a large sample of non-European immigrants in Sweden (about 8,000 individuals), primarily originating from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Syria, and Turkey. According to preliminary results, immigrants have the same views on the importance of family, leisure and politics as the average Swede after ten years in the country. However, when it comes to religion, social trust, and freedom of choice (e.g., the views on homosexuality, abortion, and divorce), this process takes longer time. For these values, the gap has roughly decreased by half during the same period.
“Since some cultural dimensions are also linked to values protected by Swedish law, more efforts from the society may be needed if one wants to speed up this type of value-related integration. As value-related integration generally occurs faster among young people, early education can probably play an important role for this,” says Hammar.
About the author and the report
Olle Hammar has a Ph.D. in economics and is a researcher at the Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN) and the Institute for Futures Studies. His research concerns issues related to economic inequality, migration, and culture.
The report SNS Research Brief 80: The Attitudes and Values of Migrants is based on the chapter “The Cultural Assimilation of Individualism and Preferences for Redistribution” in Olle Hammar’s dissertation The Mystery of Inequality: Essays on Culture, Development, and Distributions, and on survey data from the ongoing project Migrant World Values Survey, which is conducted within the framework of World Values Survey. The first results from this project have been summarized in two research reports in Swedish: Med migranternas röst: Den subjektiva integrationen (2019) and Med migranternas röst II: Hur blir man värmlänning? (2021), both written by Bi Puranen at the Institute for Futures Studies.
Other sns research brief on Migration and Integration
- SNS Research Brief Migration and Integration
SNS Research Brief 86. Spillover Effects of Stricter Immigration Policies
When Denmark made its rules on family reunification stricter in 2002, this resulted in more people moving to Sweden. This shows how the migration policy of one EU state may affect other member states, according to economists Cristina Bratu, Matz Dahlberg and Till Nikolka in a new SNS report. - SNS Research Brief Migration and Integration
SNS research brief 72. Assessment of Foreign Education. The Effects on Employment and Wages
Recognition statements of the foreign education of newly arrived immigrants lead to higher employment and wages. However, this does not result in jobs corresponding to their level of education and the effect is generally lower for immigrants arriving from Africa, Asia and Latin America. - SNS Research Brief Migration and Integration
SNS Research Brief 56. Women with refugee backgrund in tax-subsidized companies
Swedish companies that provide services for which tax deduction on household services can be received employ many women that are foreign born. However, relatively few of them have a refugee background. These are the main conclusines of the SNS report “Women with refugee backgrund in tax-subsidized companies” (in Swedish) Johanna Rickne, Professor of Economics. - SNS Research Brief Labour Market
SNS Research Brief 53. Integration and Temporary Refugee Protection
Recent developments around the world have led to a large inflow of asylum seekers to Europe. In response to the increased numbers of asylum seekers, many European countries have implemented stricter immigration policies.