PREDICTORS OF REFUGEE ECONOMIC-STATUS - A REPLICATION

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which results of a previously-developed regression model of economic status of Southeast Asian refugees in California would generalize to other refugee groups in another state. The replication study focused on Cuban, Haitian, Ni caraguan, and Soviet/East European refugees in Dade County, Florida, u sing data from the 1990 Census of Population and Housing. In general, the findings of the original study were confirmed. The regression mode l consisting of fourteen predictors yielded 5% to 35% improvement in p rediction of employment status, approximately 1% improvement in predic tion of public assistance utilization, and explained 32% to 41% of the variance in household income. The most important predictors of econom ic status were disability, having a household headed by a married coup le, and education; these differed from those of the original study. Th e implications are discussed in light of the new findings.