Recent work by Pedro M. Cruz, John Wihbey, Avni Ghael, and Felipe Shibuya at Northeastern University to visualize the rich and diverse population that is the United States won the 2018 Information Is Beautiful award. The project does a fantastic job of visualizing the breadth and depth of immigration in the country, but what is perhaps less well known is the number of Americans who strive to experience life overseas.
A recent study from the University of Kent suggests that figure could be as high as 1 in 3. The data was collected in 2014, and a number of reasons emerged for this apparent desire to live elsewhere. Top of the list by some distance was a desire to explore and experience new cultures (87.4%), with retirement, leaving a bad situation in the United States and work-related reasons all hovering around the 50% mark.
Spreading wings
Previous work from the same research team has shown that exploration and adventure are common reasons for many American migrants, with marriage and personal factors a very close second. The research attempts to explore not only the factors behind people’s motivation to move overseas, but also whether that actually materializes into action.
Perhaps not surprisingly, national identity was found to play a big part in people’s decision, but political ideology seemed to be completely unrelated, with liberals no more likely to aspire to live overseas than conservatives.
“When we looked at what underlying factors played a role in Americans’ thinking about migrating, we found that having a less than “very strong” American national identity was an important factor. Others that played a role were knowing other Americans who had lived abroad or having served in the US military, both of which are networks our respondents might tap into,” the researchers explain.
The benefits of living overseas
The power of global individuals is highlighted clearly by the high numbers of patents and startups created by people living outside of their nation of birth. Many of these innovations arrive courtesy of applying fresh thinking to old problems. The values and behaviors that people bring with them from afar can offer new perspectives on problems that have stumped the native population.
This ability to step outside of one’s comfort zone is also a common feature of research into developing softer skills, with work from Rice University, Columbia University and the University of North Carolina highlighting the potential for overseas assignments to provide a similar boost to one’s soft skills. The study found that living abroad boosts our self of ‘self-concept clarity’, which is our understanding and acceptance of ourselves.
The researchers suggest that living in a foreign country prompts people to reflect on the norms and values, not only of themselves and of their home country, but of their host nation too. This spell of reflection proves incredibly powerful in helping that individual understand who they are, and what values define them.
Perhaps if so many Americans want to try living overseas, it’s something that companies should be doing more to encourage?
