Life Satisfaction

Life satisfaction is often considered a desirable goal and stems from the Aristotelian ethical model of eudaimonism (from eudaimonia, the Greek word for happiness), in which correct actions lead to individual well-being, with happiness representing the supreme well (Diener, Oishi and Lucas, 2002). Because this study focuses on the level of SWB among newcomer Chinese immigrants in Japan, firstly I analyzed the level of general life satisfaction of immigrants in Shizuoka Prefecture (Figure 5.1). The result showed that Brazilian immigrants present polarized trend on general life satisfaction. In other words, a significant number of Brazilian immigrants are dissatisfied with their lives than other immigrant groups (96, 12.28 percent), whereas there is also a large proportion of Brazilian residents who are satisfied with their lives in Japan than immigrants from other countries (543, 69.44 percent). Thus, Chinese immigrants are less likely to be satisfied with their lives in Japan (123, 46.94 percent) than other immigrant groups except Korean (29, 39.19 percent), but the respondents from China also showed lower proportion of dissatisfaction of their lives in Japan (5.35 percent).

Figure 5.1. Life Satisfaction of Immigrants in Shizuoka Prefecture 2009

4 1

2 7 4 4 14

9 10

6 6 7 10

82

73 86

37 45

54

125 143

55 99

26 87

101 86 447

15 19 3 19 26 37 96

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Vietnam Indonesia Korea Peru Philippines China Brazil

Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Very satisfied

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Besides general life satisfaction, existing literature argued that there are various life domains constituting general life satisfaction. The way people evaluate their life in general is somehow different from their evaluation of general life. Thus, research on domains of life satisfaction can contribute to better understanding life satisfaction of immigrants in general (Verkuyten, 2008;

Wu and Yao, 2007). Moreover, the former argues that general life satisfaction can be understood as the result of satisfaction in the domains of life (Argyle, 1987; Cummins, 1996).

Therefore this study secondly examined domains of life satisfaction among Chinese residents in Shizuoka prefecture. As Figure 5.2 showed, over 60 percent of Chinese respondents are satisfied with consumer durable assets in Japan, and over 50 percent of Chinese respondents present satisfaction with housing in Japan even though many informants in my qualitative study talked about their experiences of being discriminated against by Japanese house owners.

Figure 5.2. Domains of life satisfaction among newcomer Chinese immigrants

Thus, it is easy to understand that over 30 percent of Chinese respondents are satisfied with their life insurance in Japan because Japan has better insurance system than China. To every Chinese immigrant who moved to Japan as regular visa status, they all have to join the “National Health Insurance System” that guarantees 30 percent individual payment, which is beneficial to

8 9

15 10 6 2

14 10

9 10

12 19 9 4

26 27

61 56

60 55 44

41

67 61

31 30 23 34 50

55

7 19

8 7 9

8 19 23

3 7

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Life insurance Employment insurance Job Leisure Housing Consumer durable assets Assets and savings Income

Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Very Satisfied

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Chinese immigrants, especially to those low-income residents such as students and dependents.

In addition, the results of income, assets and savings presented lower level of satisfaction among Chinese respondents, but the reference group that Chinese immigrants compare to is unclear in this survey. The reason why Chinese reported that they were less likely to be satisfied with income may be related to how they compare themselves to Japanese citizens, former colleagues and friends in China, or even to other Chinese immigrants in Japan. Therefore, a level of satisfaction with income needs to be employed as a predictor to examine the determinants of SWB among Chinese immigrants in Japan. Moreover, qualitative study will be used to figure out whom do Chinese immigrants compare themselves to.

Table 5.1. Life satisfaction of immigrants via visa status in Japan, 2009

Chinese Average

N Percentage N Percentage

Special permanent resident 0 0.0 14 73.7

Permanent resident 23 41.1 543 61.3

Long-term resident 4 44.4 73 62.4

Dependent 2 50.0 28 59.6

Student 8 29.6 25 43.1

Specialist in humanities / international service

6 60.0 12 54.6

Engineer 9 42.9 18 48.7

Total 52 / 713 /

Note: N=number of respondents, Percentage=percentage of respondents. Resource: the multicultural survey in Shizuoka prefecture (2009).

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Among newcomer Chinese immigrants, their migration strategies and life stories are clearly verified through visa status. Therefore, they may present different levels of life satisfaction, depending on different residency groups. Table 5.1 compared the life satisfaction of Chinese immigrants through visa status. The results showed that Chinese respondents are generally less likely to be satisfied with their life in Japan than other minority groups, especially among student migrants in Japan, and that Chinese respondents reported much lower life satisfaction than average level. However, for those Chinese immigrants who are stay in Japan as “specialist in humanities/international services”, better language proficiency and education can help them to be more active in Japanese labor market (Liu-Farrer, 2011). In other words, their successful achievement in commercial activities may help them to gain better socioeconomic status in Japan, hence improving their general life satisfaction.

Table 5.2. Willingness of stay in Japan among immigrants via visa status in Japan, 2009

Chinese Average

N Percentage N Percentage

Special permanent resident 0 0 9 42.9

Permanent resident 43 72.9 366 39.8

Long-term resident 7 70.0 35 30.2

Dependent 3 75.0 20 39.2

Student 3 11.1 9 15.8

Specialist in

humanities/international service

7 70.0 10 47.6

Engineer 6 27.3 13 33.3

Total 69 / 462 /

Note: N=number of respondents, Percentage=percentage of respondents. Resource: the multicultural survey in Shizuoka prefecture (2009).

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Furthermore, because Japan needs a large number of immigrants to fill labor shortages because of its low fertility replacement levels and a rapidly aging population, the willingness of stay in Japan among immigrants is crucial. Table 5.2 showed whether immigrants in Shizuoka prefecture would like to stay as long as possible. In contrast to the comparison of life satisfaction, most of Chinese respondents present stronger orientation to stay in Japan permanently than other immigrant groups, except for students and engineers.

Based on my fieldwork, many students in Japan aim to get better education, and some of them also plan to work in Japan after graduation. Meanwhile, due to the rapid development of Chinese economy, many Chinese students also plan to find a job in China by using the advantage of education they get from Japan. In contrast, some engineers moved to Japan because they were sent by companies in China. Some of them only plan to stay in Japan for couple years because they have families back in China, and some of them also think the market in China would be more attractive and suit for their personal development.

No matter what kind of residency do newcomer Chinese immigrants belong to, and in which domains of life, life satisfaction is always influenced by emotions (Berry, 2001), and the sources of worry in immigrants’ daily lives will decrease their life satisfaction. Table 5.3 shows which aspects of life are sources of worry for Chinese immigrants in Japan. More than 50 percent of the respondents reported anxiety with regard to their children’s education; this result was expected, as the second generation in immigrant families has always been the nucleus of the family.

Likewise, nearly 40 percent of the immigrants worry about their relationships with their children.

The spousal relationship is also an important part of the lives of immigrants. 39.7 percent of the respondents reported anxiety with regard to their relationship with their spouses. Thus, aging was a source of anxiety for 45.7 percent of immigrants; this result is understandable because most immigrants are not Japanese nationals, and whether they will be able to remain in Japan will strongly influence their future. Moreover, employment security is also a source of concern for many Chinese immigrants (26.5 percent), who need this security to enable their life in Japan to continue.

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Table 5.3. Anxiety reported by Newcomer Chinese immigrants in Japan, 2009