Migration and Life Satisfaction: Evidence From Latin America

Abstract

Using data from the Gallup World Poll and Latinobarometro, we examinethe relationship between life satisfaction, vulnerabilities, and migration in LatinAmerica. We look at three kinds of insecurities: nutritional, personal, and job insecurity.We find that controlling for income, migration experience by a householdmember increases life satisfaction of the respondent. We also find, however, thatnutritional insecurities interact negatively with migration. In other words, hungerhas a devastating effect on happiness, especially in households where a member isabsent due to migration.