Vignette experiment on the acculturation of internal migrants in the Kenyan Rift Valley

Abstract

The acculturation process for internal migrants in ethnically diverse societies has received little academic attention. This is even less in the context of low-income countries where internal migration is often a cause of hostility. We filled this gap by building a more comprehensive picture of the dynamics of acculturation in the Rift Valley. This is particularly, so because Rift Valley has witnessed deep-seated ethnic intolerance between internal migrants and their hosts. We used a survey-based vignette experiment to assess the perceived relative importance of nine migrant characteristics for four acculturation preferences. These include marginalisation, separation, assimilation, and integration. Using a conditional logistic regression model to analyse the vignette experiment's data, we found that levels of education and experience of ethnic discrimination were perceived as substantial contributors to acculturation processes. We concluded by relating the findings to policies aimed at enhancing the experience of acculturation in order to produce more positive outcomes.