The European “refugee crisis” in the media and its impact on the well-being of older people

A study at the Max-Planck-Institute for Social Law and Social Policy examines the impact of the European refugee crisis in 2015 on the subjective well-being of older natives in 10 European countries. The authors find that this impact is associated with the media attention and news coverage of the refugee influx. The impact is positive in countries with a “favorable” and negative in countries with an “unfavorable” coverage. Subjective well-being can reflect perceptions and sentiments regarding refugees that are associated with media coverage.