Thread: Poll: How well do immigrants assimilate?

Poll: How well do immigrants assimilate?
August 25th, 2008, 11:21 am · 4 Comments · posted by Erin Carlyle
The question of how well immigrants adapt to American culture often lies at the heart of the conversation and debate over immigration — especially illegal immigration.

Now a 10-year study of 3,000 children of immigrants in New York says that second-generation immigrants — in this case Dominicans, Russians, South Americans, Chinese, and West Indians — are assimilating so effectively that they are doing well not only compared to their parents, but also to native-born groups.

The study has been turned into a book, Inheriting the City: The Children of Immigrants Come of Age, by the professors at Harvard and the City University of New York. We thought you’d be interested in this study because the issue of assimilation has been very controversial when we’ve written about it before.


According to NPR, most of the people interviewed were children of immigrants who came here illegally 20 to 30 years ago. Most in the second generation, NPR reported, are fluent in English and working in the mainstream economy.

When they looked at economic and educational achievement, the researchers discovered that West Indians were doing better, in general, than African-Americans; Dominicans were doing better than Puerto Ricans; and the Chinese and the Russians were doing as well as or better than native-born whites.

In case you missed it, I wrote last month about Leo Chavez, a UCI anthropologist, who conducted research focusing specifically on the assimilation of Latino immigrants in Orange County. Though his work was not comparing the educational and economic accomplishments of Latinos, his argument is basically similar: the children of immigrants assimilate.

Chavez claims that Latinos are like any other immigrant group – each subsequent generation adapts more and more to American culture.

For some reason, our story on Chavez’s research made a lot of you angry. Many of you said that he had an agenda. Many of you mistrusted his work and said he was biased.

A handful of you said you liked what he had to say.

What I’d like to know is, how do you feel about the results of this new study? Are you willing to believe that the children of these immigrants assimilate than you were to believe Chavez’s research?

Do you think second-generation immigrants assimilate?
Yes - there is no reason not to accept the study 3823% of all votes
No - the researchers have an agenda and can't be trusted 9860% of all votes
I don't know - I need more info 2817% of all votes
Total Votes: 164

Started: August 25, 2008
Related stories:

Listen to or read the NPR story on the new book: Inheriting the City
Are Latinos a Threat to the U.S.?
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http://immigration.freedomblogging.com/ ... ssimilate/

Do you think second-generation immigrants assimilate?

Yes - there is no reason not to accept the study 3822% of all votes
No - the researchers have an agenda and can’t be trusted 10461% of all votes
I don’t know - I need more info 2816% of all votes
Total Votes: 170

Started: August 25, 2008

Do you think second-generation immigrants assimilate?
Yes - there is no reason not to accept the study 38 ...22% of all votes
No - the researchers have an agenda and can't be trusted 106 ...62% of all votes
I don't know - I need more info 28 ...16% of all votes
Total Votes: 172

Started: August 25, 2008

And if this assimilation is so wide spread and WORKING SO WELL…why am I still PUSHING #1 for ENGLISH???

Do you think second-generation immigrants assimilate?

Yes - there is no reason not to accept the study 38 22% of all votes

No - the researchers have an agenda and can't be trusted 108 62% of all votes

I don't know - I need more info 28 16% of all votes

Total Votes: 174

Do you think second-generation immigrants assimilate?

Yes - there is no reason not to accept the study 3821% of all votes

No - the researchers have an agenda and can't be trusted 11163% of all votes

I don't know - I need more info 2816% of all votes

Total Votes: 177

Started: August 25, 2008

The obvious answer, to me, is a big NO. If they did assimilate successfully, why do they need to be taught in SPANISH?!?!

20-30 years ago, the answer may have been yes, but no longer.

Actually, kids learn languages like melting butter on warm toast. They really don't need lessons in Spanish in their elementary school years, as they will know instinctively that you speak Spanish at home and English in schools. Assimilation is easy for the youngsters either born or brought here at an early age. They love the freedom of American society, the perks and everything else.
It is all the fault of the parent(s) who came here illegally to not only throw that child into a society they (the parents) don't understand, but give the young one that unending fear that one day mommy or daddy will be deported because they broke the law. A kid doesn't need that kind of pressure when they are already dealing with enough problems growing up-bullies in school as a start.
Now SLAM THE BORDERS SHUT before we have to deal with an entire generation of messed up kids.

Do you think second-generation immigrants assimilate?

Yes - there is no reason not to accept the study 39 21% of all votes

No - the researchers have an agenda and can't be trusted 119 64% of all votes

I don't know - I need more info 29 16% of all votes

Total Votes: 187

Started: August 25, 2008

Originally Posted by vortex

Actually, kids learn languages like melting butter on warm toast. They really don't need lessons in Spanish in their elementary school years, as they will know instinctively that you speak Spanish at home and English in schools. Assimilation is easy for the youngsters either born or brought here at an early age. They love the freedom of American society, the perks and everything else.
It is all the fault of the parent(s) who came here illegally to not only throw that child into a society they (the parents) don't understand, but give the young one that unending fear that one day mommy or daddy will be deported because they broke the law. A kid doesn't need that kind of pressure when they are already dealing with enough problems growing up-bullies in school as a start.
Now SLAM THE BORDERS SHUT before we have to deal with an entire generation of messed up kids.

Exactly! I was a first generation immigrant and learned by total immersion before ESL/ELL existed and I did come here at a young age. Second and third generation should already be assimilated without need of special programs. This study tells me that this group of "immigrants" take longer to assimilate, if at all. Teaching them in Spanish makes assimilation much harder.

Most illegal aliens don't tell their young kids that they are illegal aliens, to prevent the kids from letting the cat out of the bag. Once the kids get older, they tell them. The kids first reaction is anger at their parents for putting them in such a position, then fear they will be found out. The fault lies 100% with the parents.