Integration and Subjective Well-Being Among Off-Site University Students

This study addresses an intriguing issue: does social integration impact on self-reported happiness? Can segregation overwhelm the effects of other determinants claimed to positively affect people’s well-being? Research on this topic normally focuses on racial-based segregation and international migration. This paper calls the attention to what happens when integration involves well-off internal migrants, i.e. off-site university students. Using survey data, we conduct an OPR to detect any relationship between integration and self-reported happiness, controlling for a set of individual characteristics and endogeneity. The results suggest that increased perceived lack of integration is associated with a reduction in happiness.