Migration and well-being of older people in Europe

This dissertation explores immigrant-native differences in subjective well-being (SWB) of migrants 50+ in Europe, the long-term benefits of migration, and the impact of media attention to the European refugee crisis on older natives' SWB. It draws on data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe. The results show that compared to natives, migrants are more deprived socially and materially and with respect to SWB. Individual-specific factors reduce the immigrant-native gap in SWB, especially respondents' financial situation, health, and migration-specific variables. Contextual factors such as migrant integration policies also play an important role. Compared to stayers, long-term migrants from Eastern Europe experience significant income gains in Austria, Germany, and Sweden. SWB gains are only observed among migrants with similar or better income levels compared to natives. Finally, media attention to the refugee influx in 2015 had a significant SWB impact that is associated with national media coverage.