Return to publication list

An undeliberate determinacy? The changing migration strategies of Polish migrants in the UK in times of Brexit

Authors
Affiliation

Derek McGhee

University of Southampton

Chris Moreh

University of Southampton

Athina Vlachantoni

University of Southampton

McGhee, Moreh and Vlachantoni

10.1080/1369183X.2017.1299622
Abstract
This paper reformulates classical questions regarding the plans and strategies of Polish migrants in the UK – such as decisions to leave or remain in the host country, or be ‘deliberately indeterminate’ about future plans – from a sociologically situated ‘rights-based’ perspective. This approach considers migrants’ attitudes towards specific ‘civic integration’ measures in a medium-term time frame, as well as in the new context created by the UK’s vote to leave the EU. Based on the quantitative analysis of original survey data, we investigate the factors behind Polish migrants’ migration strategies, and we argue that basic socio-economic and demographic factors are inadequate, on their own terms, to explain future migration and civic integration plans. Instead, we find that aspects such as interest in and awareness of one’s rights, as well as anxieties about the ability to maintain one’s rights in the future are stronger determinants.

Full text

Back to top

Citation

BibTeX citation:
@article{mcghee2017,
  author = {McGhee, Derek and Moreh, Chris and Vlachantoni, Athina},
  title = {An Undeliberate Determinacy? {The} Changing Migration
    Strategies of {Polish} Migrants in the {UK} in Times of {Brexit}},
  journal = {Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies},
  volume = {43},
  number = {13},
  pages = {2109–2130},
  date = {2017},
  url = {https://www.chrismoreh.com/publications/articles/2017-jems/},
  doi = {10.1080/1369183X.2017.1299622},
  langid = {en},
  abstract = {This paper reformulates classical questions regarding the
    plans and strategies of Polish migrants in the UK – such as
    decisions to leave or remain in the host country, or be
    “deliberately indeterminate” about future plans – from a
    sociologically situated “rights-based” perspective. This approach
    considers migrants’ attitudes towards specific “civic integration”
    measures in a medium-term time frame, as well as in the new context
    created by the UK’s vote to leave the EU. Based on the quantitative
    analysis of original survey data, we investigate the factors behind
    Polish migrants’ migration strategies, and we argue that basic
    socio-economic and demographic factors are inadequate, on their own
    terms, to explain future migration and civic integration plans.
    Instead, we find that aspects such as interest in and awareness of
    one’s rights, as well as anxieties about the ability to maintain
    one’s rights in the future are stronger determinants.}
}
For attribution, please cite this work as:
McGhee, Derek, Chris Moreh, and Athina Vlachantoni. 2017. “An Undeliberate Determinacy? The Changing Migration Strategies of Polish Migrants in the UK in Times of Brexit.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 43 (13): 2109–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1299622.