Predictors of Refugee Economic Status

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which results of a previously-developed regression model of economic status of Southeast Asian refugees in California would generalize to other refugee groups in another state. The replication study focused on Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Soviet/East European refugees in Dade County, Florida, using data from the 1990 Census of Population and Housing. In general, the findings of the original study were confirmed. The regression model consisting of fourteen predictors yielded 5% to 35% improvement in prediction of employment status, approximately 1% improvement in prediction of public assistance utilization, and explained 32% to 41% of the variance in household income. The most important predictors of economic status were disability, having a household headed by a married couple, and education; these differed from those of the original study. The implications are discussed in light of the new findings.