Patterns of Social Integration of Western European Migrants

• Published in: Journal of international migration and integration Vol. 13; no. 4; pp. 403 - 422
• Main Authors: Braun, Michael, Glöckner-Rist, Angelika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.11.2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Comparative analysis; Cultural differences; Demography; England; Ethnic origin; Ethnicity; Europe; France; Friendship; Gender differences; Great Britain; Immigrant assimilation; Immigration; Investigations; Italy; Language proficiency; Latent class analysis; Latent Structure Analysis; Migrants; Migration; Nationalization; Noncitizens; Population Economics; Regional analysis; Residence; Social conditions; Social Integration; Social networks; Social research; Social Sciences; Sociology; Spain; Structural analysis; Studies; Variables; Europe; Latent class analysis; Social integration; Intra-EU mobility; Europe
• ISSN: 1488-3473; 1874-6365
• DOI: 10.1007/s12134-011-0214-4

This paper investigates whether there are different social integration patterns of intra-European adult migrants who moved between 1974 and 2003 from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain to one of the other four countries. These patterns are derived by means of latent class analysis based on information on the ethnic origin of both partners and friends. The data were collected by telephone interviews in the “European Internal Movers’ Social Survey” in 2004. Approximately 250 interviews were conducted with migrants from each of the 20 combinations of country of origin and country of residence ( N  = 4.902). In addition to two patterns of nationalized integration, where partner and friends come predominantly either from the country of residence or the country of origin, two de-nationalized integration patterns were found which are characterized by mixed friendship networks (co-nationals, nationals of the country of residence, and third countries). As a country of residence, Britain provides the most fertile ground for a de-nationalization of friend and partnerships for incoming migrants; the opposite is true for Italy. German and British migrants tend to nationalize integration patterns, that is, they either socialize with their co-nationals or with nationals of their country of residence.