After years of struggling to integrate and being branded as a “problem” group among immigrants in Norway, Somalians now rank as among those most satisfied with their quality of life. A new study by state statistics bureau SSB (Statistics Norway) placed them at the top of the list, followed by immigrants from Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
“It’s remarkable that Somalians are so satisfied, given both their economic problems and other challenges,” said SSB researcher Anders Barstad. He noted that more than 40 percent reported difficulties making ends meet every month, but that they otherwise were pleased with their new lives in Norway.
Immigrants from Bosnia-Hercegovina were also among those most satisfied, and have earlier ranked as among the best-integrated in Norway. They also gave high marks to their quality of life at present.
Among the least satisfied were immigrants from Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Poland. “The men were as dissatisfied as women,” Barstad said. “Those who have received residence permission as labour migrants are less satisfied than other immigrants, but the differences are small.”
Proficiency in understanding and communicating in Norwegian also added significantly to immigrants’ success and satisfaction in Norway. Only 8 percent of those with strong language skills were dissatisfied, compared to 24 percent of those with poor language skills.
newsinenglish.no staff
