The MumAbroad team recently put together a series of questions for its readers to more fully understand its demographic and some of the curiosities of expat life. Here is what they found.
Getting to know our readers
Based on a survey of expat life with more than 250 respondents, we discovered an affluent English-speaking community of women, most of whom did not want to return to their native home. The majority of women were in the 41-50 age range and had two children. The household earnings were fairly healthy with 38% of them earning more than €50,000 a year. The reasons for moving to their adopted country were split fairly evenly between ‘work’, ‘adventure’ and ‘lifestyle’ with 18% moving because of love. ‘Family & friends’ easily topped the list of what readers miss most from ‘home’. The inability to see family has also been our readers’ main concern during the pandemic. 45% of readers say they are ‘quite integrated’ into their local community with 18% believing they are ‘not very integrated’. Finally, issues with bureaucracy came out as their number one concern where they live, followed by education and the political system . Other issues about expat life that worried them included healthcare, the economy and environmental problems.
Carrie Frais, Founder & Director, MumAbroad.com
“Having carried out a similar survey a few years ago, we are now seeing a wealthier, more integrated demographic who increasingly have chosen to move to their new country because of its lifestyle. Whereas previously, many families relocated abroad because of work, we’re now seeing growing numbers of people who are opting for work opportunities which put them in the driving seat – start-ups, solo entrepreneurs or working virtually, as has become the norm during this past year or so. Despite Brexit, the majority of our readers continue to be British, some of whom made the move recently to take advantage from the many benefits that living in the European Union provides”.
Full results of the
MumAbroad community survey 2021*
1. How old are you?
47% 41-50
35% 26-40
10% 51-60
5% 60 or over
3% 25 or under
2. How many children do you have?
42% 2
20% 1
15% 3
15% 0
8% more than 3
3. How much does your household earn?
38% more than 50k
23% 40-50k
22% 20-30k
17% less than 20k
4. Where are you from?
63% UK
17% USA
12% EU country
8% non-EU country (except USA)
5. Do you intend to return home to passport country?
55% No
33% Maybe
10% Yes
2% Don’t know
6. Why did you move to your new country?
27% work
23% lifestyle
22% adventure
18% love
10% other
7. What issues concern you in your adopted country?
30% bureaucracy & admin
23% education system
17% political system
3% Environmental concerns
27 % other (healthcare, ageing population, economy)
8. What do you miss most about your native home?
75% family & friends
10% culture
5% sense of humour
10% other
9. How integrated would you say you are?
45% quite integrated
37% very integrated
18% not very integrated
10. What has been the most challenging issue for you during the pandemic?
60% inability to see family
20% loss of income
10% isolation
5% lack of purpose
5% inability to travel for leisure
*Based on 253 responses April 2021
Read about Carrie’s thoughts and musings on turning 50
Leave a Reply