INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON “IMMIGRATION, CONSUMPTION AND MARKETS” May 18 & 19th , 2009
Does immigration changes immigrant’s relationship toward materialism and money? Exploring the case of Arab immigrants in France.
Ziad MALAS Salim L. AZAR Imen BEN AMOR
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Arab migrants : Context. • Arabs, mainly North African (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia): 1st origin of immigrants in France, several waves of migrations since the 1930’s. • Dominant Arabic culture(s) marked by the influence of Islam but also by… the French colonization for North Africa and Lebanon. • Different levels of economic development : Poor rural hinterland and suburbs/ Recent Industrialization, still an important part of rural population (40% in Morocco) or recent urbanizations. Historically, lower levels of democracy and respect of Human2 rights >>> possible limits to the expression of individualism.
Possible cultural differences related to money and materialism. Literature says : • Culture and economic development affect relation to money and materialism : ⇒ Weber (1905) : religion and capitalism. ⇒ Simmel (1907) : increasing social power of money in industrialized societies. => Inglehart (1971, 1991) : decrease of materialist values as societies become affluent (and “post-modern”): importance to self-expression values instead of material 3 possessions.
Materialism and Atitude toward money Different definition….different dimensions. • Materialism : as a set of personal traits (Belk, 1985) ; a system of personal values (Richins and Dawson, 1992) ;giving importance to material possessions (Inglehart). => Considering Material possessions as a major goal in life. • Attitude toward Money (Furnham, 1984 ;Yamauchi and Templer,1982) : Multidimensional construct : • Baker and Hagedorn (2008) sum up the previous works : 4 dimensions : Hapiness-Solution, Power-Prestige, Planning-Saving and Anxiety. 4
Questions… • Arab migrants in France : living between two cultures, between two economic contexts. • Q1 : How individuals from societies which may still be marked by traditional values where money is not central change their beliefs about money and material possession in a secularized developed country ? • Q2 : How does migration affect choices related to savings, to credit use and payment instruments ? • Q3 : Is there differences among migrants ? related to religion ? To the aim of the migration ? To their age ? 5
What we observe and what we want to understand... Observed Personal changes Effects of the migration
Changes in the host county Migration
Changes in the country of origin
Age related changes 6
Keeping in mind effects of age, income and culture. Age related differences : • Baker and Hagedorn (2008) : Age ↑Planning-Saving ↓Power-Prestige ↓Anxiété and ↓ Hapiness-Solution • => actual age related differences or generational effect ? Income related differences (part of the difference between France and Arab countries) ? • Poorer people are more anxious about money and tend more to believe we need it to be happy. => Recently observed cultural differences ? Medina et al. (1996) : small difference between mexican and amercian : mexican plan less when it comes to money. 7
Methodology and sample : • Interviews approach (semi structured) • Projective technique: Word Association • Respondents: – 7 respondents heterogeneous in terms of age, sex, religion and country of origin – Selection Criteria: Living in France for at least 2 years Name
Age
Sex
Religion
Country of origin
Leyla
59
Female
Muslim
Tunisia
Louise
23
Female
Christian
Egypt
Michel
36
Male
Christian
Lebanon
Amina
29
Female
Muslim
Tunisia
Rim
26
Female
Muslim
Tunisia
Jeanne
34
Female
Christian
Lebanon
Patrick
29
Male
Christian
Lebanon
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Preliminary results (Q1) : perception of money. • Money is perceived an instrument but… when it comes to help family… they often prefer gifts or buying needed goods (see Zelizer, 1995) • Giving money to the family while working in their home country: I did earn money with my work as a teacher in Mansoura city (150 gineh, about 30 USD), a part of it I keep it to myself for my personal expenses, and the other part I gave to my mother as a contribution for the home expenses. If I had to go out with friends, which was about two times a month, I ask my mother for more money in case I didn’t have enough left in my pocket. • Giving gifts to her family when abroad: When I arrived to Paris, I have a monthly salary form my husband. I put them beside (lol). We also have a common account but I keep my money beside, I use it to buy gifts to my husband on special occasions but mostly to buy gifts for my parents when I go to Egypt. I don’t send them money, but once in Egypt, I might 9 give them money if I feel they are in urgent need for them (Louise, 23 years old, Egyptian)
Preliminary results (Q1) :
Money is not considered as a negative thing ...
Independence: Even though I didn’t need to work, I did want to feel independent from my father and my family (Michel) The first year when I arrived to Marseille, I was completeley dependent of my parents who sent me money. So I only spent money on basic issues like paying bills and food. I had a strong feeling of guilt because I was taking money from them in times when they needed it. When I started to have my own money, two years later, I felt liberated from this burden and more independent, I became autonomous except for huge investments like airplane tickets (Amina)
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Preliminary results (Q1) :
Money is not considered as a negative thing ... Source of pleasure: Money is a way to live and make pleasure to oneself and the persons for whom you care. Like buying “éclaire au chocolat”, travelling... (Jeanne) If I had money, I would have more fun and more pleasure, would have my own house, will travel the whole world (Amina) Important: Money is not bad if you get it in a positive way. For me it is something important because you need money to live, we cannot live with just fresh water and air, and also to realise small pleasure that you can buy, like going to Italy. It is not everything, I am sure of that, we can have pleasure without money like walking...(Michel)
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Preliminary results (Q1) :
Money is not considered as a negative thing ... Satisfaction: When they re-evaluate your salary based on what you provided in work. It is like a recompense for something you realised, but well (Michel) Sharing: you can make yourself pleasure but money allows you to share good moments, going with friends or with your wife to a good restaurant, buying gifts to persons you love (Michel) Value: buying diamonds or expensive things to your wife, getting good stylish furniture for your house. (Patrick) Money will let me have what I always wanted, having a beautiful house next to the see, with beautiful furniture and all the stuff (Rim) 12
Preliminary results (Q1): perception of money (4). • Yet respondents said they were not used to talk a lot about money • Louise: I don’t like to talk in general about money, when someone talks in front of me about money, I (silence) • Interviewer: what happens then? • Louise: it is not about the fact that I have or have no money; it is just that I don’t feel comfortable when someone talks about money in my presence. Even now after my wedding, I have better life quality due to the status of my husband and yet, I don’t like to talk about money. (Louise, 23 years old, Egyptian)
• People don’t think they speak more about money here than there (Mossus-Lavaud, 2007 : French taboo about money).
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Preliminary results (Q1 & Q3) : perception of money (5). • Possible differences related to age : younger respondents seem to have grown in a more materialistic context. “Money for me is about shopping, getting new things, living new experiences when travelling with people you love. Shopping for the house during usual or particularly sell period” (Louise, 23 years Old, Christian)
• The main changes perceived by the respondents is more related to age to the migration itself.
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Preliminary results (Q3): perception of money (7). • No perceived influence of religion, no clear differences between muslims and christians. “I don’t think that religion has any impact on my perception of money. It is two complete things, it is true that the Church ask us to give money, in my case I can’t so I give clothes” (Louise, 23 years old, married, Christian) I don’t think religion has an impact on my perception of money but it make me thank god for what I have. (Michel, 38 years old, Christian) There is no conflict from my point of view in between my religion and my own perception and management of money. It is true that we have to give charity in islam, but since I don’t have enough money I 15 don’t do it (Amina, 29 years, Muslim)
Preliminary results (Q1 & Q3): perception of money (8). • Migration puts individuals in situation where money becomes more important because their family is more distant. • => Accelerate learnings related to budgeting. As a student in Paris, I was very careful with my budget. When I started my work, I started to travel more often, like for example I went to Venise, to Rome.. I also went to more expensive restaurants... It is just lo live new experiences without having lot of expenses in the same time cause I wanted to put money beside. When I was still single and living in Lebanon, I always knew that my parents are around, but once abroad and married, you feel more responsible of yourself when single and your partner after the wedding, so u have to put money beside because you never know if something bad happens like you get sick or left your work... So concretely every month we have a fix amount that goes to our saving account, we have a budget for leisure's and shopping, and another one for daily life expenses. Of course, those amounts might vary from month to month but we try as possible to stick to them 16 (Michel, 38 years, Christian)
Preliminary results (Q1) : perception of money (6). • Mighty Money! Perception of a third culture... Askegaard et al. (2005) «Maybe related to globalisation, we have more material needs now, so that people fight more to get money » (Leyla, 59 years old, Muslim). « It’s not about France or Lebanon, everywhere, we need money specially when you go through hard time » (Patrick, 29 years old, Christian). 17
Differences with other CCT research and financial choices (Q2) Attitude toward money or materialism cannot be fluctuent or situational (idea of Oswald in 1999 about Haitian migrants’consumption) : • It’s about a belief not consumption… • Possible phenemonon or contextual swapping for Islamic banking but no respondant thought about getting an account in an islamic bank : too recent in France. • But two respondants used credit facilities to pay their purchases => paying an interest…. Credit use spreading in Tunisia. 18
Next steps of the research.
• More in depth analysis. • Small sample => More interviews: – 2 Maroccan (including a berbere), – 2 Tunisian, – 1 Algerian 19
