‘White Flight’ in Finland? A Qualitative Study into Finnish-born Families’ Housing and School Choices in Turku,

Abstract

White flight refers to a phenomenon whereby native middle class residents avoidor move away from areas with immigrant concentrations thereby contributing toethnic and residential segregation. The recent increase in immigration into Finlandhas spurred public debates suggesting that white flight - in connection with schoolchoices - might also be happening in Finland. In this article, the phenomenon isscrutinized and unravelled conceptually. The discussion draws on a recent qualitativestudy undertaken in Turku. The study involved 31 in-depth interviews with nativeFinnish parents of primary- and preschool aged children. The results indicate thatneither the schools nor immigration determined families housing decisions that were,ultimately, multifaceted and situated within specific life courses and circumstances.Mainly thematic but also discourse and life course analysis methods were employedto tease out nuances around talk and action, also helping to further understand thedynamics of attitudes in this context.