The Patterns of Satisfaction Among Immigrants in Germany

Using the data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, the paper focuses on the analysis of life satisfaction and income satisfaction
among immigrants in Germany. The results suggest that it cannot be argued that Germany’s immigrants are, ceteris paribus, more satisfied or less satisfied than natives, since some immigrant groups appear to be more satisfied, while others show
lower satisfaction levels relative to natives. Separate estimations for natives and immigrants show that, even though the
patterns of satisfaction for the two groups are largely similar, several notable differences emerge. The final goal was to
take a closer look at the negative relationship between satisfaction and duration of stay in Germany. After constructing reference
groups by the timing of arrival, the negative relationship between income satisfaction and years since migration is reduced
substantially. On the other hand, the negative association between duration of stay and life satisfaction is persistent, regardless
of the way the reference groups are defined.