Afghan Refugees’ Multidimensional Deprivation: Comparative Analysis of St. Louis, Portland, and a National Refugee Sample

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Abstract

Background: The Afghan refugee population has become one of the most rapidly growing refugee groups in the United States. St. Louis, Missouri and Portland, Oregon represent two of the destination cities that have welcomed large numbers of Afghan arrivals, yet they employ distinct resettlement strategies. In Portland, state-level support allows for extended case management lasting up to two years, whereas St. Louis follows the standard federal model of 90-day assistance. Few studies examine the experiences of recently resettled Afghans, and there is a scarcity of comparative research regarding their economic outcomes across varied service environments.
Purpose: This study evaluates multidimensional deprivation among Afghan refugees in St. Louis, Afghan refugees in Portland, and a national sample of refugees, comparing rates and predictors of deprivation across these contexts. It aims to determine how local resettlement contexts and broader structural inequities influence the economic outcomes of newly arrived Afghan refugees.
Method: Primary data were collected in 2024 through cross-sectional surveys of Afghan refugee households in St. Louis (N=184) and Portland (N=150), utilizing convenience and snowball sampling. The survey was interviewer-administered, and it was available in Dari, Pashto, and English. Results were compared to a subset of the 2022 Annual Survey of Refugees (N=1,386 households), the only national dataset focused specifically on refugees. Multidimensional deprivation indices combine multiple domains and indicators of deprivation into a single measurement index to capture the complexity of poverty beyond income level. Using a version of the Multidimensional Deprivation Index adapted specifically for refugees, households were classified as multidimensionally deprived if they experienced deprivation across two or more of the following domains: education, health, economic security, living standards, and housing quality. The study uses descriptive statistics to report deprivation rates and logistic regression to identify predictors of deprivation.
Results: Multidimensional deprivation is pervasive, affecting 70% of the national sample, 62% of the St. Louis sample, and 74% of the Portland sample. While household size and the head of household’s English language proficiency were predictors of deprivation across all groups, other factors were site-specific. Perceived discrimination was a unique predictor in St. Louis, duration of residency was significant in Portland, and the head of household’s age and gender were significant only within the national data.
Conclusions: The high rates of multidimensional deprivation documented in this study are a matter of critical concern. Although refugees face shared structural obstacles, local sociopolitical and economic conditions profoundly shape their economic outcomes. Findings suggest that resettlement policies should move away from one-size-fits-all approaches in favor of locally-tailored, multidimensional interventions. Programs must prioritize specialized support for large households and those with limited English proficiency while working to address site-specific barriers and to mitigate the negative impacts of reduced federal benefit eligibility windows. At a time when resettlement programs are suspended and many refugee-serving organizations are experiencing severe budget cuts, it is especially important to recognize that refugees are part of the new American population. Ensuring their inclusion in mainstream poverty reduction programs and services is critical to promoting long-term economic stability and equity.

Authors

• Saria Bechara, Washington University in St. Louis
  Presenting Author

• Mitra Naseh, Washington University in St. Louis
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Yingying Zeng, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Jihye Lee, Washington University in St. Louis
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Jason Baker, Monarch Immigrant Services
  Non-Presenting Co-Author