Emigration of the Western European second generation: is having immigrant parents a predictor of international migration?

Abstract

Compared to individuals without a migration background, the second generation seems more likely to possess the type of skills, values and transnational ties that facilitate international moves. In other words, ‘mobility capital’ transmitted from parents of migrant origin to their children may increase the likelihood of emigration among the second generation. Yet so far this expectation has not been tested empirically. To address this knowledge gap, this study analyses emigration patterns and determinants of the Western European second generation born in the Netherlands between 1987 and 1992 using longitudinal data from the Dutch population registers. The study addresses whether the second generation is more likely to emigrate during early adulthood as compared to peers without a migration background, and whether this difference is related to having immigrant parents or follows from other background characteristics. The results show that the Western European second generation has a higher chance to emigrate from the Netherlands than individuals without a migration background, and that this difference remains when taking socio-economic indicators, current individual demographics, and household characteristics at age 15 into account. As such, the study is among the first to identify having a second-generation migration background as an important predictor of international migration.