Migration and Health Inequalities in Europe: Examining the Impact of Discriminatory Climates on Migrants’ Unmet Healthcare Needs

Neureiter, Michael und Waldmann, Gunda (2025): Migration and Health Inequalities in Europe: Examining the Impact of Discriminatory Climates on Migrants’ Unmet Healthcare Needs. In: Journal of International Migration and Integration [Forthcoming]

Abstract

Health has been increasingly recognized as an important dimension of migrant integration among both scholars and policymakers. However, despite a growing body of literature on the subject, there is still a paucity of research on certain determinants of migrants’ access to healthcare, particularly diffuse forms of discrimination. This article contributes to filling this gap in the literature by addressing the question whether anti-immigrant public opinion leads to unmet healthcare needs among migrants. Specifically, we argue that discriminatory opinion climates, which we conceptualize as hostile public sentiment toward migrants, can cause migrants to forego medical examination or treatment when needed, resulting in unmet healthcare needs. We further posit that this relationship is moderated by migrants’ bridging social capital, such that the detrimental effect of discriminatory climates on health outcomes is weaker for migrants who have native-born friends. Using logistic regression to analyze data on approximately 6,000 migrants in 17 European countries provided by the second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (EU-MIDIS II) in 2015/2016, we find support for both hypotheses. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, including potential strategies to mitigate discriminatory climates and build bridging social capital among migrants as well as targeted health interventions for high-risk groups.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Sozialwissenschaften > Geschwister-Scholl-Institut für Politikwissenschaft (GSI)
• Themengebiete: 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 320 Politik
• ISSN: 1488-3473
• Sprache: Englisch
• DFG: Gefördert durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - 530911351