Counting on kin: The satisfaction of migrants with their social networks in Germany

Abstract

Migrants are often considered deprived at least in terms of income, housing and health. However, social networks with their support potential also differ between locals and migrants. Compared to locals, migrants are supposed to have strong family and co-ethnic ties more often. Therefore, in the scientific literature, it is disputed whether migrants’ social networks are insufficient. Moreover, how network structure is related to satisfaction with bonds is nearly unobserved. However, satisfaction can be interpreted as an expression for social condition and, therefore, as an indicator of social inequality.Hence, we examine the social networks of Germans and seven migrant groups using the German Socio-Economic Panel (2006 and 2011). Precisely, we investigated how the network of seven migrant groups and Germans are related to satisfaction with their social networks. Our results revealed that the extent of bonding capital promotes support if required. However, apart from origin, network structure affects expectations of kin and non-kin support, which has unequal effects on satisfaction in relationships with closely linked persons. Non-kin helpers seemed to be experienced as substitutes for family support. In contrast to the networks of Germans, the perceived sufficiency of migrant networks is not negatively affected by bonding capital.