Most immigrant economics research focuses entirely on the immigrant experience. Very little compares and contrasts that experience to that of the U.S. born worker. This creates a sample bias problem and leads to potentially biased research findings.
Continue readingCategory: Background
Wild: Former NZ Prime Minister moves to Australia
Jacinda Ardern has moved to Sydney, Australia. Does not seem like a good image for New Zealand.
Continue readingAmerican returns to US; living abroad wasn’t perfect
Unusual article in Business Insider, as a young ex-pat moves back to the US, noting life abroad is not the idyllic life portrayed in… well, Business Insider.
Continue readingHow many Americans who move abroad – move back to the U.S.?
An estimated 30-50% of those who move abroad eventually move back to the United States.
Continue readingStart here: The Myth that Americans Can Easily Move Abroad
The great media myth is that huge numbers of Americans are moving abroad and anyone can do this. In fact, just 1.3-1.6% of Americans live abroad, and may be 1% of retirees move abroad. These values are close to zero. Start here to learn about the media bias in these stories – and to review the data.
Continue readingWho Moves Abroad?
Based on a review of over 400 media
“I moved abroad” stories, about 40% obtain their visa via marriage, 16% had prior dual citizenship and 8% had a right of descent privilege. That’s 2 out of 3 had a unique immigration privilege that you probably do not have.
80% of “I moved abroad” stories are to Europe, but only 20% of Americans abroad live there
Media stories about Americans who move abroad are overwhelmingly biased to those moving to Europe/UK/Ireland – about 80% of all such stories. Yet only 20-23% of Americans who move abroad, move to Europe/UK.
Continue readingThe media’s portrayal of immigrants versus native born Americans
The media is biased in favoring stories about immigrant success – in business, academics and leadership roles. This bias comes at the neglect of covering native-born Americans and may lead to hostility towards immigrants.
Continue readingMedia: The media bias with “I moved abroad” stories
Most of the “I moved abroad” stories are formulaic stories designed for click bait, they misrepresent reality and ignore the pre-existing privilege of the central character. But the myth of moving abroad – or the romance angle of marrying abroad – is powerful click-bait. These stories are based on a standardized “formula” which is why they are all nearly the same.
Continue readingVacation Visits to Hawaii
About 2.5% of Americans visit Hawaii each year, but that may now be in decline owing to Hawaii’s intentional raising of prices ($400/night hotels, on average, $50-$100 per person restaurants costs).
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