Measuring and assessing refugee success in the USA: a scoping review of quantitative studies

To better understand the factors that impede and facilitate refugee success, it is important to clarify how success is operationalized in research and evaluations. This scoping review examined quantitative methods used to measure refugee success in the USA, mapping the domains and parameters studied, data collection methods, and contexts of reception and exit. Fifty-two articles met the eligibility criteria. Findings revealed variability in populations, units of analysis, and domains measured. Most studies focused on individual-level success, with only ten assessing success at the household level and one at the community level. Economic success, other forms of integration, and health were commonly assessed, but measures related to physical health, belonging, and heritage language retention were largely absent. Future research should prioritize under-studied contexts of reception and exit, develop more holistic measures of refugee success, and promote methodological diversity that includes refugees’ perspectives.