Migration and the Multi-Dimensional Well-Being of Elderly Persons in Georgia

High rates of migration coupled with low formal social protection provisions may place many members of the elderly Georgian population in precarious living conditions that promote vulnerability and limit well-being achievement. This potential connection has been poorly explored in past literature, however, suggesting a need to better assess how the migration of an adult child may influence the multidimensional well-being of the elderly in Georgia. Using a novel dataset comprising 2202 elderly individuals across all regions of Georgia (excepting the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia), this paper proposes a multidimensional well-being index that has been specifically designed to encompass the unique resources and constraints faced by elderly individuals in different age cohorts. Following the construction of a multidimensional well-being index—comprised of domains including physical health and independence, housing well-being, social well-being, and emotional well-being—the outcomes of elderly individuals are compared by age and the presence/absence of adult children due to migration. Findings suggest that the migration status of an elderly person’s adult children is related to the attainment of well-being. Elderly individuals with a migrant child are more likely to attain well-being in physical health as well as in the overall multidimensional well-being index.