Well-being in Older Migrants and Non-migrants in Germany: A Specific Look at Health and Poverty Dimensions

Abstract

Well-being among older people has become an essential matter, as the ageing population throughout the world become a more widespread phenomenon. Well-being is an implicit notion, which can be approached in different ways. This thesis approaches well-being from both objective and subjective perspectives and analyses its two measurable dimensions as health and poverty. This thesis aims to examine health and poverty determinants among the older population in Germany and to find whether health and poverty status converge to or diverge from each other for older migrants and non-migrants. Health is examined by looking at diabetes, depression, and subjective health measures. Poverty is examined by looking at income, wealth, and subjective poverty measures. As the data source, Wave 7 of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement of Europe is used. Six hypotheses were formulated based on migration status and length of residence, and outcome variables. Binary logistic regression model is employed to reveal the factors affecting health and poverty of the older migrants and non-migrants. Descriptive statistics by the prevalence of diabetes, depression, subjective health, income poverty, wealth poverty and subjective poverty are presented. For each model, binary logistic regression tables are given. By focusing the migration status and length of residence, the results are discussed within the framework of the healthy immigrant effect for the health models. For the poverty models, the results were discussed by comparing them with that of the previous research and hypotheses formulated. The results suggest that for health models, both older migrant groups have higher odds of having diabetes than natives. Western older migrants have lower odds of having depression while non-Western migrants have similar to that of natives. Both migrant groups have similar odds of having poor subjective health when compared to non-migrants. For poverty models, both migrant groups have higher odds of having income poverty than natives. Western migrants have lower odds of having wealth poverty while non-Western migrants have higher odds of wealth poverty compared to natives. Western migrants have similar odds of having subjective poverty and non-Western migrants have higher odds when compared to natives. In general, the results point out that healthy immigrant effect is not generalizable to the all three health models. Although we provide support for most of our formulated hypotheses, model of diabetes provides results not in line with our expectations.