Cultural traits and second-generation immigrants’ value of informal care

Many European studies find that immigrants and the native population differ in their long-term care use. These differences have been attributed to immigrants’ cultural preferences, among others. However, the cultural integration process of immigrants may result in a potential caregiving conflict between foreign-born immigrants’ preferences for long-term care and their children’s willingness to provide long-term care. In this study, we empirically assess to what extent cultural factors that prevail in foreign-born immigrants’ country of origin are reflected in their children’s value of informal care. Using data from the German Family Panel and the World Values Survey/European Values Study, we regressed second-generation immigrants’ value of informal care on the cultural strength of family ties that prevails in their parents’ country of birth. Probit models were estimated and individual characteristics were accounted for. The results show that second-generation immigrants who originate from cultures with stronger family ties are more likely to express a high value of informal care than second-generation immigrants who come from cultures with weaker family ties. We conclude that immigrants’ values of informal care are deeply shaped by their country of origin. Policy makers should keep immigrants’ needs and preferences in mind when implementing long-term care interventions. The same set of long-term care interventions can have very different effects, depending on immigrants’ values.