Economic prosperity, better quality of life, and a hopeful future are key aspects that migrant individuals seek when coming to America. Migrants who find work in the U.S. often times send money and resources back to their native countries in hopes of improving the lives of their families. Indeed, research has shown that migrant remittances can bring prosperity to developing countries by increasing overall income and boosting key outcomes such as health, entrepreneurship, and education. This study examines migrant remittances and its welfare implications by conducting eye-tracking experiments and surveys with a sample of almost 400 Central American migrants. In pursuance of further understanding these migrants’ remittance decisions, I primarily aided in (1) the construction of surveys to collect demographics, typical remittance patterns, and preferences and (2) the cleaning, merging, and analysis of survey and eye-tracking data. This research presentation will focus on (a) the lessons learned through this research experience to date, (b) how these fit with my future career goals, and (c) preliminary results from the research.
