Objectives of the research

The UniDiv project addresses two main questions:

  1. Is immigrant adaptation a complex process consisting of various dimensions (socio-economic, cultural, social, spatial) and, if so, how do these dimensions influence one another (if at all)?
  2. To what extent do academic researchers, policy makers and the general public perceived and define immigrant adaptation as a multidimensional process or do they focus on specific dimensions and outcomes?

More specifically, we aim at exploring:

  • the extent of the dimensionality of immigrant adaptation in Britain;
  • the existing evidence on whether adaptation in one dimension helps adaptation in another or whether these dimensions are independent;
  • whether this dimensionality and independence between dimensions vary across gender, ethnic and generational lines;
  • the extent to which the same or different dimensions are prioritised in the definitions and understandings of immigrant adaptation among academic researchers, policy makers and the general public;
  • what data and policy responses might be more effective in addressing the concerns of both the ethnic majority and minority groups;
  • whether some dimensions might need to be prioritised as they are likely to influence outcomes in other dimensions.