Factors Explaining the Integration, Identity and Sense of Belonging to Spanish Society among Youth Immigrants in Huelva

In this article on the social processes of integration in adolescents and youth, we describe and explain the factors which, in a representative sample of 413 immigrant adolescents in Huelva, Spain, are linked to having a sense of belonging to Spain. Approximately fipercent of those interviewed reported a sense of belonging to Spain, although the degree of belonging to this country was lower or non-existent in other cases. Th is paper attempts to delimit the elements that largely explain the degree of the sense of belonging to a country, which is crucial to understanding the processes of identifi cative integration. We found several variables linked to the sense of belonging to Spain: life satisfaction, structural opportunities perceived in Spain, orientation towards the Spanish language (monolingual or bilingual), multiple territorial identifi cation, participation in Spanish celebrations and activities, and trust in Spanish people.