2nd gen. Immigrants: More Mobile & Liberal Than Mainstream

By Pilar Marrero, NewsTaco

One of the persistent myths around the immigration of today (mostly Latino, majority Mexican) is that today´s immigrants and their descendants are somehow less able to move ahead and integrate into the larger American economy, language and culture. PEW Hispanic Center just put out a new analysis that shows this contention is untrue.

Quoting from their press release:

Second-generation Americans—-the 20 million adult U.S.-born children of immigrants—-are substantially better off than immigrants themselves on key measures of socio-economic attainment, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. They have higher incomes; more are college graduates and homeowners; and fewer live in poverty. In all of these measures, their characteristics resemble those of the full U.S. adult population.

Hispanics and Asian Americans make up about seven-in-ten of today’s adult immigrants and about half of today’s adult second generation. The second-generation of both groups are much more likely than immigrants to speak English, to have friends and spouses outside their ethnic or racial group, to say their group gets along well with others and to think of themselves as “a typical American,” according to Pew Research surveys. The surveys also find that they place more importance than does the general public on hard work and career success.

BUT, and here is the kicker…they are already more inclined towards liberal ideas rather than conservative ones. I personally think that´s both a generational issue (young Americans are also more liberal, inclusive, etc) and a result of the Republicans “not such a great job of reaching out and representing minorities”. That´s in comparison to a less than stellar performance of Democrats, but a lesser of 2 evils kind of thing.

Again, quoting from the PEW:

They are more inclined to call themselves liberal and less likely to identify as Republicans. And roughly seven-in-ten say their standard of living is higher than that of their parents at the same stage of life. In all of these measures, the second generation resembles the immigrant generation more closely than the general public.

You can read the whole report, hot off the presses, by going HERE.

This article was first published in PilarMarrero.com.