The importance of weak friendships for international student satisfaction: Empirical evidence from Canada

Abstract

We examine the effect of the nationality and strength of friendships on self-reported levels of satisfaction among international students attending a mid-sized university in Canada. Satisfaction scales capture a variety of dimensions of the international study experience, including cultural, educational and social aspects. We find evidence that international students with a larger proportion of host-national friends (Canadians) enjoy greater cultural and social satisfaction and surprisingly the vast majority of the positive effect comes from having a greater proportion of host-nationals in the weakest friendships, suggesting the importance of weak ties. Furthermore, international students with a greater proportion of co-national friends (from the same country as the respondent) report lower levels of cultural and social satisfaction and, again, most of the effect comes from the weakest relationships. We do not find evidence of a relationship between friendship patterns and educational satisfaction. This paper advances the growing body of work on the instrumental value of weak ties in social relationships but also their significance in structuring social experiences, particularly satisfaction and wellbeing. We recommend further research to better understand the processes through which newcomers make new friends in new locations, and the consequences of these social networks in the broader integration experience.