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Thursday, January 18th, 2018

Why Don’t Norwegians Immigrate to the U.S.?

Author:     LIZA MUNDY
Source:     Slate
Publication Date:     JAN 17, 201811:03 AM
Link: Why Don’t Norwegians Immigrate to the U.S.?
Stephan:   I find the continuing references to Norway by American politicians quite interesting; Bernie Sanders mentioned Norway in the second Democratic primary debate in one context. Trump mentioned it in quite another. In my social outcome research I have become very interested in the Nordic nations, and have written specifically about a comparison between Norway and the U.S.: A Thought Experiment in Wellness: Suppose the United States Matched Norway . It may interest you to know that on average only about 100 people a year immigrate to the U.S. from Norway, and that has been true for a number of years. In contrast the number of Americans immigrating to Norway totals something in the 600s. But deeper than that, as this report spells out, it is hard to imagine why anyone from Norway or any of the Nordic countries would want to immigrate to the U.S.  

View of the small village of Reine in Lofoten, Norway.

Last week, the president of the United States wondered aloud why America takes so many immigrants from poor countries (lest you forget, shithole was his term) and so few from places like, say, Norway. The comment was widely seen as crude, ungenerous, un-American, and more than faintly racist; it also displayed surprising ignorance of the many reasons why Norwegians of all people might choose to stay put. Following news of Trump’s reported (and disputed) remark, commentators pointed out that thanks to oil wealth and generous social policies, Norway ranks as the world’s happiest country.

As the Atlantic pointed out, once-poor Norway now “has higher life expectancy at birth than the U.S., lower rates of infant mortality, low unemployment, and access to the European Union’s labor market.” It also ranks first in prosperity and political and press freedom—much higher than the United States.

​Somehow, Norway looks even better from a working parent’s perspective: Norway has […]

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