Life Satisfaction of Immigrants: Does Cultural Assimilation Matter?

26 Pages Posted: 22 May 2014

See all articles by Viola Angelini

Viola Angelini

University of Groningen - Faculty of Economics and Business; Netspar

Laura Casi

Bocconi University

Luca Corazzini

University of Padua - Department of Economics; Bocconi University - Department of Economics

Date Written: May 2014

Abstract

We empirically assess the relationship between cultural assimilation and subjective well-being of immigrants by using the German Socio-Economic Panel, a longitudinal dataset including information on both the economic and non economic conditions of the respondents. We …find that the more immigrants identify with the German culture and ‡fluently speak the national language, the more they report to be satisfied with their lives. This result is robust to several potential confounding factors, including a large number of individual variables (demographic, educational, social, economic and health), labour market outcomes and the external social conditions of the immigrant.

Keywords: assimilation, identity, life-satisfaction, immigration

JEL Classification: J15, I31, Z10, F22

Suggested Citation

Angelini, Viola and Casi, Laura and Corazzini, Luca, Life Satisfaction of Immigrants: Does Cultural Assimilation Matter? (May 2014). SOEPpaper No. 654, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2439643 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2439643

Viola Angelini (Contact Author)

University of Groningen - Faculty of Economics and Business ( email )

Postbus 72
9700 AB Groningen
Netherlands

Netspar ( email )

P.O. Box 90153
Tilburg, 5000 LE
Netherlands

Laura Casi

Bocconi University ( email )

Via Sarfatti, 25
Milan, MI 20136
Italy

Luca Corazzini

University of Padua - Department of Economics ( email )

via Del Santo 33
Padova, 35123
Italy

Bocconi University - Department of Economics ( email )

Via Gobbi 5
Milan, 20136
Italy

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