Pathways to Refugee Integration: Predictions from Longitudinal Data in Colorado

• Author: Jini E. Puma,Sarah E. Brewer,Paul Stein
• Date: 01 July 2020
• Published date: 01 July 2020
• DOI: 10.1177/0002716220935830

82 ANNALS, AAPSS, 690, July 2020

DOI: 10.1177/0002716220935830

Pathways to

Refugee

Integration:

Predictions

from

Longitudinal

Data in

Colorado

By

JINI E. PUMA,

SARAH E. BREWER,

and

PAUL STEIN

935830ANN THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMYPATHWAYS TO REFUGEE INTEGRATION

research-article2020

In this study, we examine whether and how the success

of refugee integration varies over time and the factors

that facilitate successful integration. Using data from

the Refugee Integration Survey and Evaluation (RISE),

we assess the integration of 467 newly resettled refu-

gees in Colorado over three consecutive years, begin-

ning in 2011. We find that that integration significantly

increases with more time in the United States, and that

age, gender, and education in one’s home country

explained approximately half of the variance in overall

integration three years postarrival. The integration

pathways we derive from the data explain a sizable

component of the variance, and we find differences in

the integration process across the population sub-

groups that we examine.

Keywords: refugees; integration; longitudinal data;

resettlement

At no other time in recent recorded history

has there been a displacement crisis like

the one we are witnessing at the time of this

writing. The United Nations High Commissioner

for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates 70.8 million

people worldwide have been forcibly displaced

from their homes, including 13.6 million in

2018 alone (UNHCR 2018). This figure

includes 20.4 million refugees under UNHCR’s

Jini E. Puma is an assistant professor in community and

behavioral health and the associate director of the

Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center at the

Colorado School of Public Health. Her primary research

interests include refugee integration and health and

early childhood obesity prevention.

Sarah E. Brewer is an assistant professor of family

medicine and investigator in the Adult and Child

Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and

Delivery Sciences (ACCORDS) at the University of

Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Her research

engages communities to solve issues in vaccine hesi-

tancy, primary care use, and refugee health.

Correspondence: jini.puma@ucdenver.edu

PATHWAYS TO REFUGEE INTEGRATION 83

mandate. Over half of UNHCR refugees originate from Syria, Afghanistan, and

south Sudan, fleeing from war and persecution by their governments. In 2018,

92,400 refugees were resettled into receiving countries (UNHCR 2019).

Integrating such a large number of refugees into new societies is a complex,

expensive challenge that affects and is affected by national politics, social values,

the economy, government policies, and sensibilities of host communities.

For refugees, integrating into the receiving community is complex, because of

the many barriers newly resettled people face. Immediate stressors include ina-

bility to speak the host language and poor job skills (Elwell etal. 2014; Cheung

and Phillimore 2017; Hugo 2014; Taylor 2004). Over time, many refugees con-

tinue to face barriers to integration, including difficulty navigating their host

country’s bureaucracy, lack of health insurance, low literacy, lack of transporta-

tion, social isolation, and poor mental and physical health (Simich 2003; Mirza

etal. 2014; Thomson 2012; Kennedy, Seymour, and Hummel 1999; Savin etal.

2005). The confluence of these factors can present formidable obstacles to refu-

gees, in terms of integrating into the social, economic, and political fabric of a

new country. Thus, in this article, we sought to examine the longitudinal process

of integration of refugees into a metropolitan area in the United States, along

with the factors that influenced this process. Our hope is that through better

understanding of the factors that predict refugee integration over time, resources,

and support can be allocated to promote this dynamic process.

Understanding Refugee Integration

Ager and Strang’s (2008) integration framework has been used to understand

refugee integration in countries throughout the world. This conceptual frame-

work was derived based on interviews with refugees and host-country citizens in

the UK. The framework outlines ten dimensions of refugee integration that have

proven to be relevant across countries and refugee subgroups. The ten dimen-

sions of refugee integration they outline include rights and citizenship, language

and cultural knowledge, safety and stability, social bridging, social bonding, social

links, housing, employment, education, and health. The Ager and Strang

Paul Stein is founder and strategic partnerships developer for integration: Navigation,

Outreach, Wealth Building (iNOW). His work focuses on supporting refugee integration

through community engagement, economic development, and innovative service delivery.

NOTE: The Refugee Integration Survey and Evaluation (RISE) data were procured through

the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA). The authors wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to

Dr. Gary Lichtenstein for his wisdom, unwavering support, strong moral compass, and caring

for the lives and plight of refugees in Colorado and around the world. The authors also

acknowledge the Georgetown University Institute for the Study of International Migration and

the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs for their support of this article. The

authors wish to thank Mrs. Sharon Scarbro and Dr. Charlotte Farewell for their consultation

and assistance with some of the statistical analyses featured in this article. Last, the authors

express deep gratitude to the refugees and refugee professionals whose participation in the

RISE study made data for this article possible.