Quality of Life of Non-Self-Sufficient Immigrants: A Neighborhood Perspective

Abstract

This paper explores the quality of life of non-self-sufficient immigrants in Sweden, focusing on their residential patterns while controlling for individual characteristics. We find large differences in both individual and locational attributes across income levels and ethnic backgrounds, illustrating that the status of ‘immigrant’ is far from being a homogenous group. The results show that non-self-sufficient individuals, especially those from Africa and the Middle East, may face limitations in their life satisfaction as these groups are most likely to reside in socioeconomically weak neighborhoods. Additionally, the results show that the motivation for residential choices varies across ethnic backgrounds. For example, ethnicity rather than income level determines the neighborhood patterns of African immigrants, while non-self-sufficiency is the major determinant for Nordic immigrants residing in poor, ethnic neighborhoods. We thus argue that the location of residence and differences across ethnic backgrounds deserve more attention in research and policy discussions on quality-of-life issues.