Migrants from Uzbekistan in the Moscow Agglomeration: Assessment of Migration Experience

Abstract

The orientation of Uzbekistan towards deeper integration with the Eurasian Economic Union and maintenance the vector to migration activity of the republic citizens to Russia and to the Moscow takes place against the background of insufficient knowledge about a diverse set of migrant’s behavior, update the study of the migration experience. The paper is devoted to the features and determinants of this phenomenon. The article proposes an author's approach to the study of migration experience, overcoming disciplinary and sectoral boundaries, combining the developments of demographic and social studies. The migration experience of a person is understood as deposited impressions, beliefs formed in the process of life and work in emigration about the host country. On the basis of quantitative data, a characterization is given of subjective situations representations, events, prevailing ideas of respondents about everyday life, difficulties of settling and living in Moscow, behavioral aspects related to the setting for return migration, adaptation, support/non-support of Eurasian integration, readiness to interact with the host society, as well as migration experience. On the basis of the resulting indicators: “general work satisfaction in Moscow” and “reasonableness of expectations from coming to Moscow”, which characterize the achievements, the fulfillment of a person’s life, level of aspirations and conditions of the social environment. Two groups of migrants were identified, having different migration experience. The results of the study contribute to the development of sociological knowledge about migration, allow to explain the current and potential migration activity of citizens of Uzbekistan.