National and transnational family and friendship networks and their role for subjective well-being of older migrants compared to non-migrants in Luxembourg

Creating new bonds in the receiving country constitutes an important developmental task for migrants. Nonetheless, migrants often have smaller social networks in the receiving countries compared to non-migrants, while they stay connected with left behind family members in their countries of origin. The role of transnational ties can thereby be twofold – on the one hand, transnational relations might provide support for migrants from a distance, on the other hand feelings of loneliness might arise when network partners are living far away.
The present study is part of the project PAN-VAL on active ageing in Luxembourg, financed by the Ministry of Family and Integration, which focusses on social embeddedness vs. social isolation of migrants and non-migrants living in the multicultural context of Luxembourg. A national sample of N=1000 migrants and non-migrants 50+ living in Luxembourg were asked about their family and friendship networks, their satisfaction with family, friends and life as a whole as well as their feelings of loneliness. Further, N = 20 qualitative interviews with older migrants and non-migrants in four selected municipalities were carried out to explore social networks in more depth.
First analyses revealed smaller national family and friendship networks of migrants compared to non-migrants and people with double nationality, whereas migrants reported more transnational bonds. Migrants also reported a lower satisfaction with family and friendship networks compared to non-migrants and people with double nationality, whereas no differences were found between migrants and non-migrants with regard to feelings of loneliness. However, people with double nationality felt less lonely compared to both other groups.
Results will be discussed in a life-span perspective, considering the role of national family and friendship networks to create a sense belonging as a fundamental need of human beings.