Successful adaptation of immigrants to Finland : can cultural fusion work?

2017

Immigration numbers in Finland are growing, more than doubling in the past decade, with immigrants arriving from increasingly diverse regions of the world. An attempt should be made to understand what are the factors that lead immigrants to finding happiness, and to mitigate the apparent rise in assimilation and anti-immigrant attitude in Finland. Most of the interviewees (n=16; 7 females, 9 males) have embedded themselves in dispersed communities, with connections from the workplace, studies, or common interests (e.g., religion, hobbies) that rarely including their immediate neighbors. Several reported a comfort in their own uniqueness. Some pointed to the kindness of Finns as integral to …