Refugees’ perception of their new life in Germany

Abstract

Since 2015, Germany has been hosting noticeable incoming flows of refugees and asylum seekers and despite the quality of life of refugees is expected to be improved in the aftermath of their arrival to Germany, refugees are still facing several problems of integration and economic deprivation. Using a sample of individuals from the first wave of the German IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees, we present some preliminary analyses on their life satisfaction (LS). A gamma glm was estimated to focus on the association among levels of LS and main socio-demographic characteristics as well as post-migration factors. Greater stability (both in the legal and personal sphere) in refugees’ lives is positively associated to LS; while education increases consciousness, hence decreasing LS. Interesting insights come out for policy design.