S4 - Episode 2 Migration aspiration and decision making stories from Asia

The second episode of AspirE’s fourth and final podcast series continues our exploration of Work Package 4 (WP4), shifting the focus from methodology to findings.

While Episode 1 introduced the different types of data collected under WP4, this episode dives into the key insights generated by AspirE’s local research teams based in Asia. It brings together researchers from across the consortium to reflect on what emerged from months of fieldwork.

The conversation begins with an introduction of the researchers and an overview of the participants involved in the study, highlighting how aspiring (re)migrants were recruited, their demographic profiles, and the scale of participation across different contexts. The discussion then turns to the video diaries, a year-long exercise in which participants documented their own migration journeys and everyday lives. The teams reflect on the main patterns, themes, and unexpected insights that emerged from this rich and intimate material. Next, the episode explores the focus group discussions with migration experts, including policymakers, NGO practitioners, and recruitment agents. The researchers explain how these discussions were organised and what key perspectives surfaced when institutional and practical viewpoints were brought into dialogue.

🎧 Listen to Episode 2 to discover the key findings from AspirE’s fieldwork in Asia and how migrants’ voices and expert perspectives come together to deepen our understanding of (re)migration to Europe.