REPORT: So-called “white flight” is a common phenomenon in Sweden, according to a new doctoral thesis from Linnaeus University.
When a residential area reaches a certain degree of ethnic diversity, Swedes tend to flee.
In the dissertation the economist Emma Neuman examines differences between groups on the Swedish housing and employment. The results show that native-born tend to move away from, or avoid moving into residential areas when it reaches a certain trigger point in the share of non-EU foreign-born.
Swedes migratory behavior therefore seems to be an important factor behind the rise of ethnic segregation in Sweden.
According to research, segregation in childhood can have an impact on economic outcomes in adulthood. The children of native-born who have grown up in areas with a high proportion of foreign-born tend to have poorer labor market outcomes and are less likely to begin college or university education.
– Yes, we found a “tipping point” of about 3-4 percent, says Emma Neuman, who is a National Economic researcher at Linnaeus University. When immigrants become so many in a residential area, the native Swedes begin to move from there.
A study conducted between 1990-2007 shows the same, and what many already knew.
– The impact was actually stronger in the 1990s, and then the “tipping point” was slightly lower, ie Swedish-born were more likely to move as soon as only a few immigrants moved in, says Emma Neuman. It might be interpreted to mean that many, after all, has become a little more tolerant, but the overall trend seems difficult to curb.
This does not apply to just any immigrants – immigrants from Europe gives no moving effect, but it is the overseas migrants who have the neighborhood to start moving. Cultures collide quite simply, there’s whole blocks that can be transformed in just a few years, a situation few politicians and journalists need to experience.
Where the Swedish middle class mothers moves away from multiculturalism – while they say they experience this as enrichment, shows the complexity.
– Many speak nicely of ethnic diversity as an enriching factor, but when choosing a school for their children or where to move to, the question becomes very concrete, and then one often choose some form of Swedishness, says Maja Lily, who is a sociologist at the University of Örebro.
The dissertation says nothing about the violence, threats, rapes, robberies, etc. which is the main reason why Swedes flee of course.
