Foreign residents' degree of social integration in daily activities. The case of the Island of Majorca

Abstract

[eng] Since the 1950’s, the Balearic Island of Majorca has encountered an increase in immigration due to its touristic development. Many are the reasons why a foreigner moves elsewhere such as for work purposes, to pursue their dream career or simply because they fall in love with the place, or with someone who lives there. This study aims at analyzing the degree of social integration of foreign residents in Majorca, specifically making a differentiation between non-Spanish migrants and migrants that have moved to Majorca from mainland Spain. In order to fulfil this objective, an interview with open-ended questions was administered to 14 residents in Majorca, half of them Spanish and the other half from other countries all over the world. Broadly speaking, the results indicate that the first group of people have been more successful in integrating with the local people, the main factor being the knowledge of the common language spoken on the Island, Spanish. At the end of the paper, a series of social activities are included to possibly help increase the level of integration of current and future foreigners moving to Majorca.