Table 2 Variables used for regression analyses, taken from Arab Barometer Round 5
From: Re-thinking the drivers of regular and irregular migration: evidence from the MENA region
Variable name | Original question | Recoded responses |
|---|---|---|
Outcome variables | ||
Propensity to emigrate | “Some people decide to leave their countries to live somewhere else. Have you ever thought about emigrating from your country?” | 1 “Yes”; 0 “No” |
Willingness to do so without papers | “Would you consider leaving [COUNTRY] even if you didn’t have the required papers that officially allowed you to leave?” | 1 “Yes”; 0 “No” |
Explanatory variables | ||
Socio-demographics | ||
Male | Recorded by interviewer | 1 (male); 0 (female) |
Age | “Could you please tell me your approximate age?” | 0–99 |
University | “What is your highest level of education?” | 1 if “university”; 0 for all other responses |
Unemployed | “Are you … ?” | 1 if “unemployed”; 0 for all other responses |
Unmarried | “What is your current social status?” | 1 if “single/bachelor”; 0 for all other responses |
High income | “Is your net household income less than or greater than [MEDIAN INCOME IN LOCAL CURRENCY]?” | 1 if median or more; 0 if below |
Religious | “In general, you would describe yourself as religious, somewhat religious, or not religious?” | 1 if “religious”; 0 if “somewhat religious” or “not religious” |
Political and economic context | ||
Economic pessimism | “What do you think will be the economic situation in your country during the next few years (2–3 years) compared to the current situation?” | 1 “much better” to 5 “much worse” |
Perceived democracy | “Measuring the extent to which your country is democratic, on a scale from 0–10 with 0 meaning there is no democracy whatsoever and 10 meaning that it is democratic to the greatest extent possible. In your opinion, to what extent is your country democratic?” | 0 “no democracy” to 10 “complete democracy” |
Perceived corruption | “To what extent do you think that there is corruption within the national state agencies and institutions in your country? “ | 1 “not at all” to 4 “to a large extent” (original coding reversed) |
Access to migration networks | ||
Use social media | “How many hours on a typical day do you spend on social media platforms [INTERVIEWER: IF ASKED SPECIFY SUCH AS FACEBOOK, TWITTER, OR WHATSAPP]?” | 1 “not at all” to 5 “10 h or more” |
Trust social media | “To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements. I trust the information provided by social media [INTERVIEWER: IF ASKED SPECIFY SUCH AS FACEBOOK, TWITTER, OR WHATSAPP] more than that provided by newspapers or TV news programs.” | 1 “I strongly disagree” to 4 “I strongly agree (original coding reversed) |
Receive remittances | “Does your family receive remittances from someone living abroad?” | 1 “we do not receive anything” to 4 “Yes, monthly” (original coding reversed) |
Psychological factors | ||
Feel free to make decision | “To what extent do you agree with the following statement: “I feel I am free to make decisions for myself on how to live my life.”” | 1 “I strongly disagree” to 4 “I strongly agree (original coding reversed) |
Stress | “In the past six months, how often did you feel so stressed that everything seemed to be a hassle?” | 1 “Never” to 4 “Most of the time” |
Depression | “Life is overwhelming at times. In the past six months, how often did you feel so depressed that nothing could cheer you up?” | 1 “Never” to 4 “Most of the time” |
Interpersonal trust | “Generally speaking, would you say that “Most people can be trusted” or “that you must be very careful in dealing with people”?” | 1 “I must be very careful in dealing with people”; 2 “Most people can be trusted” (original coding reversed) |