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It's not all about the economy stupid! Immigration and subjective well-being in England
Howley, P. Moro, M. Delaney, L. Heron, T.
Howley, P.
Moro, M.
Delaney, L.
Heron, T.
Publication Date
2020-10
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© The Author(s) 2019. The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Work, Employment and Society, vol 34/issue 5 by SAGE Publications Ltd, All rights reserved.
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Yes
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openAccess
Accepted for publication
2019
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Abstract
While much is known regarding the effects of immigration for objective outcomes, relatively little is
known regarding the effects for perceived well-being. By exploiting spatial and temporal variation in
the net-inflows of foreign-born individuals across local areas in England, we examine the relationship
between immigration and natives’ subjective well-being as captured by the General Health Questionnaire
(GHQ). We find small negative effects overall but that an analysis of the main effects masks significant
differences across subgroups, with relatively older individuals, those with below-average household
incomes, the unemployed and finally those without any formal educational qualifications experiencing
much more substantive well-being losses than others. These observed well-being differentials are
congruent with voting patterns evident in the recent UK referendum on EU membership. We put
forward perceived as opposed to actual labour market competition and social identity as two potential
explanations for the negative well-being impacts of immigration for natives.
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Accepted manuscript
Citation
Howley P, Waqas M, Moro M et al (2020) It's not all about the economy stupid! Immigration and subjective well-being in England. Work, Employment and Society. 34(5): 919-936.
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Article