Kuwait is home: perceptions of happiness and belonging among second plus generation non-citizens in Kuwait

ABSTRACT

Kuwait is an oil-rich Gulf country where temporary foreign workers and their families comprise two-thirds of the population, without access to permanent residence or citizenship. Several residents, however, stay for long durations, raising a second or third generation there. Surveys of second plus generation non-nationals were conducted among 973 high school students and 246 working persons in 2012. These surveys were analysed in order to: (i) Advance the understanding of how non-citizens relate to their impermanent status in terms of being happy in Kuwait and considering it home; and (ii) To identify characteristics that enhance the above perceptions. Among students, 48 per cent were extremely happy and 52 per cent considered it as home very strongly; corresponding percentages among working persons were 35 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively. Arab nationality, female gender, longer duration of residence and bilingual proficiency were positively associated with perceptions of belongingness, which may enhance societal harmony.

KEYWORDS:

• Migrant identity
• migrant acculturation
• migrant assimilation
• Middle East
• Kuwait migration
• transnational identity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the London School of Economics, Kuwait Program.