The saving behaviour of immigrants and home-country characteristics: evidence from Australia

This article investigates the determinants of saving rates of Australian residents, determines whether the saving behaviour of immigrants is different from that of native-born Australians and if it is affected by their country-of-origin characteristics. Comparison of estimated saving rates for 2006 using Australian longitudinal data reveals that immigrants save less than their native-born counterparts. Amid the determinants, a home country's gross domestic product per capita and old-age dependency ratio are found to be positively correlated, while national household saving rate is negatively correlated, with immigrants' saving rates. The latter finding may be driven by unaccounted remittances or changes in saving habits after immigration.