{"id":6961,"date":"2025-02-10T15:59:54","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T14:59:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/?p=6961"},"modified":"2025-02-10T15:59:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T14:59:54","slug":"do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Irregular Migrants Know What They Face?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Field research provides clear insights: individuals from Africa contemplating migration to Europe tend to underestimate the risks of the journey and overestimate their chances of obtaining residency and employment upon arrival. Awareness campaigns can help migrants make more informed decisions, but these efforts should be led by independent organizations rather than European governments solely aiming to deter migration flows.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In 2023, following the tragedy off the coast of Cutro, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed the families of the victims, questioning whether they were aware of the risks associated with sea crossings. A similar message had been conveyed earlier in 2021 by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris during her visit to Guatemala. Harris made a direct plea to those intending to migrate irregularly to the U.S., urging them to “not come” and avoid perilous journeys across the Mexican border. Both statements were rooted in the assumption that migrants are completely unaware of the dangers they face, but the perceptions of those who migrate are far more complex.<\/p>\n

A Long and Difficult Journey<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Irregular migration to Europe entails significant risks that go beyond crossing the Mediterranean Sea, where over 30,000 lives have been lost since 2014. For those departing from Sub-Saharan Africa, the journey involves traversing the Sahara Desert, often relying on traffickers operating outside the law. These traffickers have been known to inflict various forms of abuse. Studies report that migrants transiting through the Sahel and North Africa frequently endure physical violence, robberies, arbitrary detentions, extortion, kidnappings, and sexual assaults, all while facing the constant threat of death along the route. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN agency, deaths in the Sahara may be twice as high as those recorded in the Mediterranean, though the figures are highly uncertain.<\/p>\n

After surviving such a perilous journey, many irregular migrants who reach Europe live undocumented lives with limited access to essential services and job opportunities. This raises a crucial question: Are they adequately informed about the risks and outcomes of irregular migration?<\/p>\n

Who Informs Migrants About What Awaits Them?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Numerous studies highlight that individuals considering irregular migration from Africa to Europe hold overly optimistic expectations about various aspects of their journey and are often poorly informed about the risks and benefits upon arrival. Research conducted by the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin f\u00fcr Sozialforschung (WZB) and the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research (RWI) in Berlin indicates that prospective migrants from Nigeria possess limited information about the journey and significantly overestimate their chances of obtaining asylum. Another study by researchers from Nova University in Lisbon, focusing on Gambia, suggests that migrants overestimate their likelihood of obtaining legal status in Europe.<\/p>\n

This lack of information persists at later stages of the journey and even after arrival in Europe. For example, researchers from the European University Institute and the IOM found that migrants in Italy have little knowledge of their basic rights, such as the requirement for their asylum applications to be processed in their first country of arrival.<\/p>\n

In a study conducted with Lucia Corno (Catholic University and LEAP Bocconi) and Eliana La Ferrara (Harvard Kennedy School and LEAP Bocconi), we examined potential migrants\u2019 perceptions of the risks and outcomes of irregular migration. Our research involved surveying over 7,000 high school students in Conakry, Guinea, about their expectations regarding possible migration. We found that most were overly optimistic about critical aspects, such as the journey’s duration or the likelihood of encountering violence.<\/p>\n

Our intervention, designed in collaboration with an Italian and a Guinean NGO, provided students with information about irregular migration to Europe. The campaign included direct testimonies from migrants recorded in Italy, statistics on the risks of irregular journeys\u2014including the likelihood of encountering violence and abuse\u2014and information about economic integration upon arrival in Europe.<\/p>\n

To rigorously assess the campaign\u2019s effects, we divided the 160 participating schools into four groups: one received no new information, one was informed only about the risks of irregular journeys, another learned only about the economic outcomes of migration, and the final group received both types of information. This experimental design allowed us to compare outcomes between schools that participated in the campaign and those that did not, measuring the campaign\u2019s impact on students\u2019 migration intentions and actual choices.<\/p>\n

The results are clear: After receiving the information, students became more pessimistic about irregular migration. Specifically, information about risks reduced their desire to migrate and halved the migration rate, as measured a year later through interviews with students, their families, and local contacts. In short, our findings suggest that potential migrants often lack critical information.<\/p>\n

A similar study in Gambia demonstrated that providing information improved awareness of the implications of irregular migration and reduced the willingness to embark on such journeys. However, a comparable study in Dakar yielded no significant effects.<\/p>\n

The variability in results across different studies is not surprising. Outcomes may depend on the type of informational campaign conducted and the preexisting beliefs of the target audience. For example, in our study, information about journey risks had a greater impact on the opinions of Guinean students than information about economic prospects in destination countries. Regardless, the goal of these interventions is not to deter migration altogether but to promote more informed decision-making based on an understanding of the risks involved.<\/p>\n

Informing, Not Deterring<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The studies cited above were conducted by independent actors aiming to provide tools for more informed decision-making. In other cases, however, governments seeking to reduce migration have led information campaigns. For example, in 2015, the Danish government launched a campaign in Lebanon through newspaper ads explaining that welfare benefits had just been cut. Similarly, the German government organized a campaign in Afghanistan during the same period, displaying posters in the streets urging potential migrants to reconsider their decision to leave.<\/p>\n

When governments conduct these campaigns, their messages risk being perceived as attempts to influence individuals\u2019 decisions rather than inform them. Thus, the effects of such campaigns, if implemented more systematically, remain unclear.<\/p>\n

Informational campaigns about irregular migration raise complex issues. Field studies consistently show that migrants often lack accurate information about the consequences of their journeys. Reliable campaigns\u2014featuring direct testimonies from other migrants and credible statistical data\u2014can play a crucial role by fostering a more realistic understanding of the risks and outcomes of irregular migration. However, these campaigns must be conducted by impartial actors who are not merely seeking to deter migration.<\/p>\n

The ultimate solution lies elsewhere: offering legal migration alternatives that eliminate the need for dangerous and uncertain journeys. In the meantime, promoting contact with credible sources could improve the expectations and decisions of those considering migration.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Giacomo Battiston is an economist and researcher at the ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin), where he studies migration and labor economics. He has examined the management of European border controls and their effects on migrants in transit.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Field research provides clear insights: individuals from Africa contemplating migration to Europe tend to underestimate the risks of the journey and overestimate their chances of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6535,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"coauthors":[42],"class_list":["post-6961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-non-categorizzato"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDo Irregular Migrants Know What They Face? - Rivista Eco<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do Irregular Migrants Know What They Face? - Rivista Eco\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Field research provides clear insights: individuals from Africa contemplating migration to Europe tend to underestimate the risks of the journey and overestimate their chances of […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rivista Eco\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-10T14:59:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Giacomo Battiston\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Giacomo Battiston\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/10\\\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/10\\\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Giacomo Battiston\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9fb8a056b6cbd7b0f948950f40912dd9\"},\"headline\":\"Do Irregular Migrants Know What They Face?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-10T14:59:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/10\\\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1143,\"articleSection\":[\"Non categorizzato\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/10\\\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/10\\\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\\\/\",\"name\":\"Do Irregular Migrants Know What They Face? - Rivista Eco\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-10T14:59:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9fb8a056b6cbd7b0f948950f40912dd9\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/10\\\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/10\\\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/10\\\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Do Irregular Migrants Know What They Face?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rivista Eco\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9fb8a056b6cbd7b0f948950f40912dd9\",\"name\":\"Giacomo Battiston\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/23afc367a7ff8e0320a994bde06351df8ea53255b77ed34599a9e8d7f054397b?s=96&d=mm&r=gea5f7cb86075d0f6a6be7d7e92b29699\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/23afc367a7ff8e0320a994bde06351df8ea53255b77ed34599a9e8d7f054397b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/23afc367a7ff8e0320a994bde06351df8ea53255b77ed34599a9e8d7f054397b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Giacomo Battiston\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/author\\\/gbattiston\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Do Irregular Migrants Know What They Face? - Rivista Eco","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Do Irregular Migrants Know What They Face? - Rivista Eco","og_description":"Field research provides clear insights: individuals from Africa contemplating migration to Europe tend to underestimate the risks of the journey and overestimate their chances of […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/","og_site_name":"Rivista Eco","article_published_time":"2025-02-10T14:59:54+00:00","author":"Giacomo Battiston","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Giacomo Battiston","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/"},"author":{"name":"Giacomo Battiston","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9fb8a056b6cbd7b0f948950f40912dd9"},"headline":"Do Irregular Migrants Know What They Face?","datePublished":"2025-02-10T14:59:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/"},"wordCount":1143,"articleSection":["Non categorizzato"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/","name":"Do Irregular Migrants Know What They Face? - Rivista Eco","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-02-10T14:59:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9fb8a056b6cbd7b0f948950f40912dd9"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2025\/02\/10\/do-irregular-migrants-know-what-they-face\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Do Irregular Migrants Know What They Face?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/","name":"Rivista Eco","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9fb8a056b6cbd7b0f948950f40912dd9","name":"Giacomo Battiston","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/23afc367a7ff8e0320a994bde06351df8ea53255b77ed34599a9e8d7f054397b?s=96&d=mm&r=gea5f7cb86075d0f6a6be7d7e92b29699","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/23afc367a7ff8e0320a994bde06351df8ea53255b77ed34599a9e8d7f054397b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/23afc367a7ff8e0320a994bde06351df8ea53255b77ed34599a9e8d7f054397b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Giacomo Battiston"},"url":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/author\/gbattiston\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6535"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6961"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6961\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6963,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6961\/revisions\/6963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6961"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}