The Effect of Length of Residence and Geographical Origin on the Social Inclusion of Immigrants

Abstract

espanolThis study analysed the effect of length of residence and place of origin on the social inclusion of immigrants. Social support, resilience, sense of community, and satisfaction with life were used as indicators of social inclusion. Previous studies on social inclusion of immigrants were predominantly of static nature. A synthetic cohort design that examines temporal effects in distinct cohorts was used to analyse the effect of time on levels of social inclusion. It was hypothesised that place of origin would moderate the positive effect of length of residence. The study was conducted in Malaga (Spain). The participants consisted of 2,374 immigrants from Africa (597), East Europe (565), Latin America (652), and Asia (560). The results suggest that length of residence has a positive effect on social inclusion and that shorter cultural distance facilitates the process of social inclusion, especially among Latin American immigrants. However, the moderating effects of place of origin only reached statistical significance for satisfaction with life. A multidimensional and dynamic approach is needed to fully understand the process involved in the social inclusion of immigrants. This is based on the assumption that the positive effect of length of residence is not linear in the short term but manifests over the long term. EnglishSe analizan los efectos del tiempo de residencia y la procedencia en la inclusion social de los inmigrantes. El apoyo social, la resiliencia, el sentido de comunidad y la satisfaccion vital se utilizan como indicadores de inclusion social. Estudios previos sobre la inclusion social de los inmigrantes se caracterizan por su naturaleza estatica. A traves de un diseno de cohorte sintetico se comprueba si el tiempo favorece la inclusion social. Se propone que la procedencia modera la influencia positiva del tiempo de residencia. El estudio se realiza en Malaga y participan 2,374 inmigrantes procedentes de Africa (597), Europa del Este (565), Latinoamerica (652) y Asia (560). Los resultados muestran que el tiempo de residencia influye de forma positiva incrementando las dimensiones de inclusion social y la cercania cultural favorece el proceso de inclusion social, especialmente en los inmigrantes latinos, aunque los efectos moderadores de la procedencia han sido solo significativos para la satisfaccion vital. Los hallazgos sugieren adoptar un enfoque multidimensional y dinamico para comprender el proceso de inclusion social de los inmigrantes, asumiendo que el efecto positivo del tiempo de residencia no es lineal a corto plazo, sino que se manifiesta a largo plazo.