Immigration and Happiness: The Influence of Immigration on the Happiness of Natives in the Netherlands

As immigration in developed European countries increased substantially in the last decade, it is interesting to investigate the impact of immigration on the happiness of natives. This research was conducted to examine this relationship in the Netherlands particularly. For the analysis, a combination of the European Social Survey and an extensive dataset on Dutch immigration numbers are used. A remarkably small, but negative significant effect was found between immigration and the happiness of Dutch natives. Increasing immigration however, has a positive significant effect on the happiness of natives. Additionally, this research is the first to investigate whether the effect of immigration on the happiness of Dutch natives depends on their attitude towards immigration. An overall significant effect was found. The impact of immigration on the happiness of natives is essentially dependent on the natives’ attitude towards immigration. The positive impact that immigration has on the happiness of natives is greatest especially for natives who favor immigration. Additionally, this impact is negative for natives that have a strong aversion to immigration. Throughout this paper, the magnitude of the effect remains small.