Immigrants’ perception of their social well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Helsinki Metropolitan area in the year 2020 : a case study for Urban SOS project
Mroueh, Adnan; Lehtonen, Aku; Kaila, Tiina (2021)
2021
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021110219156
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021110219156
Tiivistelmä
This thesis aimed to study how immigrants living in the Helsinki metropolitan area perceived their social well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020. The participants for this study were contacted through the working life partner, the Urban-SOS project. The Urban-SOS project had already agreed on a research agreement with two domestic non-governmental organizations: Familia ry and Lapinlahden MIITTI.
The study was carried out by conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews. Three people were interviewed, who had all at one point participated in the activities provided by either Familia ry or Lapinlahden MIITTI. The interviews were conducted during august of 2021 by using the online conferencing tool, Zoom. This was done due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
The results showed that the participants shared both similar and different views of the social well-being components. For example, participants felt that being an immigrant during the COVID-19 pandemic had left them feeling that they stand out much more and that they need to prove to society that they are contributing members of the society. The participants noted that working and paying taxes were significant in upholding one’s social well-being. To most of the participants, Finland was seen as a great place to live during the pandemic and in general. This was due to the social stability that Finland was thought to be successful in maintaining. Participants felt that their need for knowledge about the developments around the world also in- creased during 2020.
The results of this study point to the importance of employment for people with immigrant backgrounds living in the Helsinki metropolitan area during a global pandemic. The results also showed that Finland as a society is regarded as a safe and stable place to live in. Additionally, social benefits offered by the Finnish social services system were seen as something to be avoided, since they were seen to have negative effects on the social well-being of a person. These findings could help in the future when the social well-being of people with immigrant backgrounds is being discussed.
The study was carried out by conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews. Three people were interviewed, who had all at one point participated in the activities provided by either Familia ry or Lapinlahden MIITTI. The interviews were conducted during august of 2021 by using the online conferencing tool, Zoom. This was done due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
The results showed that the participants shared both similar and different views of the social well-being components. For example, participants felt that being an immigrant during the COVID-19 pandemic had left them feeling that they stand out much more and that they need to prove to society that they are contributing members of the society. The participants noted that working and paying taxes were significant in upholding one’s social well-being. To most of the participants, Finland was seen as a great place to live during the pandemic and in general. This was due to the social stability that Finland was thought to be successful in maintaining. Participants felt that their need for knowledge about the developments around the world also in- creased during 2020.
The results of this study point to the importance of employment for people with immigrant backgrounds living in the Helsinki metropolitan area during a global pandemic. The results also showed that Finland as a society is regarded as a safe and stable place to live in. Additionally, social benefits offered by the Finnish social services system were seen as something to be avoided, since they were seen to have negative effects on the social well-being of a person. These findings could help in the future when the social well-being of people with immigrant backgrounds is being discussed.