Ejection-attraction factors and family networks, as motivators of emigration in adolescents of Metapán. Department of Santa Ana, El Salvador

Abstract

This research explores the influence of emigration in Salvadorian adolescents, evaluating the push-pull factors and family networks established in the United States. It also pretends to detect the influence of the factors sex, English level and family income in case of deciding to emigrate. The sample for this research were 290 adolescents of 9th grade from public schools in the city of Metapán. The survey was conducted by a study of populations by means of surveys with probabilistic samples. The results were that the greater influences in the emigration decision are the push factors, specially the high index of delinquency, the few work opportunities and the cost of life on El Salvador. The pull factors results are the attractive economic and wage aspects of the United States and the family networks results that facilitate the process and reduce basic costs of the process of emigration. The sex variable was the only one that presented a significant difference in the decision to emigrate, and the variables English level and family income were variables without significant difference.