Economic status, emigration, and life satisfaction: Strategies of acculturation among Belarusian and Ukrainian migrants in Poland before and during the war

Abstract

The main aim of the study was to investigate the acculturation strategies and life satisfaction of Belarusians and Ukrainians living in Poland. The study participants (N = 423) provided socio-demographic data about themselves, when they came to Poland (before or during the Russian invasion of Ukraine), and filled in the acculturation and the life satisfaction questionnaires. The results indicated no difference in acculturation, education, or economic status between the Belarusians and the Ukrainians. The positive relationship between economic status and life satisfaction, unsurprisingly, was evident. However, it was found that marginalization, discrimination, and assimilation as acculturation strategies were salient among participants who came to Poland before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The migrants who entered Poland during the war showed sedate attitudes towards Poland. The relationship between the migrants’ economic status and the moment of migration (before vs. during the war) and attitudes towards integration became clear. Poor and middle-class migrants consistently show a rather high degree of preference for the best acculturation strategy - integration. Meanwhile, the rich participants showed the highest integration before the war, but the rich who came during the war exhibited the lowest level of integration. This is explained based on the economic literature.