ABSTRACT

Kuwait is an oil-rich Gulf country where temporary foreign workers and their families comprise two-thirds of the population, without access to permanent residence or citizenship. Several residents, however, stay for long durations, raising a second or third generation there. Surveys of second plus generation non-nationals were conducted among 973 high school students and 246 working persons in 2012. These surveys were analysed in order to: (i) Advance the understanding of how non-citizens relate to their impermanent status in terms of being happy in Kuwait and considering it home; and (ii) To identify characteristics that enhance the above perceptions. Among students, 48 per cent were extremely happy and 52 per cent considered it as home very strongly; corresponding percentages among working persons were 35 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively. Arab nationality, female gender, longer duration of residence and bilingual proficiency were positively associated with perceptions of belongingness, which may enhance societal harmony.

摘要

科威特是一个石油资源丰富的海湾国家，那里的临时外国工人及其家庭占人口的三分之二，没有永久居留权或公民权。但是，有几位居民长期居住，在那里养了第二代或第三代。2012年对973名高中生和246名工作人员进行了第二代以上非本国公民的调查。对这些调查进行分析的目的是：（i）进一步理解非公民如何与他们的无常身份相关联在科威特开心并考虑回家；（ii）确定增强上述认识的特征。在学生中，有48％的人表示非常高兴，而52％的人认为这是家的感觉；劳动者中的相应百分比分别为35％和48％。