How perceived well-being determinants differ for immigrants and natives in Italy

Analysts have identified pecuniary and non-pecuniary factors, as well as the role of individual skills, as relevant predictors of perceived well-being of immigrants, but with different and conflicting conclusions. In this study, related to the Italian case, we evaluate the gap in the well-being of immigrants compared to natives in terms of psychological distress and economic conditions. Using the Italian data from the European Survey on Income and Living Conditions, we estimated well-being functions in different domains by assuming that the emotional condition of the subjects influences their perceived well-being in both cognitive and community domains. We found that considering different well-being domains helps to better assess the nature of the gap between immigrants and natives.