Social cohesion and subjective well-being: An exploration of their dynamic interplay amongst migrants in Vienna and Budapest

WELLCOH seeks to explore the relationship between social cohesion (SC) and subjective well-being (SWB) in the case of immigrants in Vienna and Budapest.

Its innovative approach is not simply the strong linkage of the two concepts, but rather the attempt to understand their two-way causal relationship within one research framework.The aim of the project is to answer the following questions.

How do immigrant communities perceive social cohesion (social exclusion, perceived tensions, intergroup trust etc.) and subjective well-being (life satisfaction, happiness, eudaimonia) in comparison with the native-born population and the European statistics?

Has immigrants' well-being improved linearly with their material gains, or has it failed to reach the expected level due to the immaterial factors?

What role do social relationships play in this process and how does SWB influence their migration intentions (stay permanently, return to the country of origin, or leave for another country)?

How do the group-specific SWB differences influence the strength of social cohesion in Vienna and Budapest, and what are the main differences between the two cities regarding the social cohesion-subjective well-being nexus?The project applies a mixed methods approach, including secondary analyses (literature review, statistical data, international and national surveys: EQLS, EU-SILC, VQLS and the Hungarian microcensus) and the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods: focus groups, interviews and two additional surveys in Vienna and Budapest.

The empirical findings will contribute to improving the existing theoretical literature, and they are expected to facilitate more effective, evidence-based policies in both countries.

The Challenge of Urban Futures Research Platform at the University of Vienna will host the project under the supervision of Prof. Yuri Kazepov, an internationally renowned expert in urban sociology.