Abstract:

Political and economic instabilities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region instigate a pursuit of a new life among the populace which boosts the demand for migration. This is an important phenomenon which will have significant impacts on the MENA countries as well as the host countries.  On the one hand, those who leave will trigger long-term societal and political changes in the destination countries, and on the other hand, those who stay will shape the future of their home countries. This study explores the individual level determinants of decision to emigrate from the MENA region. We investigated the differences between individuals who consider emigrating and those who prefer to stay. For this purpose, we used the Arab Barometer Wave IV data which was collected from 7989 individual respondents in nine countries. Our quantitative analysis indicate that those who are better educated, unsatisfied with politics and social life are more likely to emigrate from the region. We provide a discussion of these findings and their implications.

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