Very few migrants seek return to native country, poll shows

Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Very few migrants around the world say they would want to return to their home nations, or even to a third country, according to a new Gallup survey Tuesday.

The poll said just 7 percent of first-generation migrants indicated they want to move back to their native countries, and 16 percent said they would prefer to move from their present location to a third country. Seventy-seven percent said they'd opt to stay where they are.

More than 80 percent of migrants from nations like Greece, Britain, Portugal, Iraq and Poland said they prefer to stay where they are.

The survey comes as some leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, are urging natives to return -- along with their newly gained skills and expertise.

The poll showed there is a greater share of migrants from certain nations who do favor returning, like Saudi Arabia (30 percent), Australia (21 percent) and Turkey (20 percent). About 15 percent of Americans living abroad said they would like to return home.

Gallup questioned nearly 64,000 first-generation migrants in more than 160 countries over a period of eight years for the survey, which has a margin of error of 1 point.