GENERATIONS of EXCLUSION

Mexican Americans, Assimilation, and Race EDWARD TELLES and VILMA ORTIZ

With a foreword by JOAN MOORE

Main research question

  To what extent are Mexican Americans assimilating into U.S. society over several generations?

2

Key sample and comparisons

Children 2000

Original Respondents

1965/2000

Gen. 1 21%

Gen. 2 52%

Gen. 3 27%

Gen. 2 24%

Gen. 3 52%

Gen. 4 24%

3

12.4

13.1

13.1

10.4

10.0

7.4

0.0 3.0 6.0 9.0 12.0

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Original Resp

Years of education

4

Education

Earnings 5

$30,600

$37,600

$36,300

$29,300

$29,200

$25,600

$0 $10,000 $20,000 $30,000

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children, 2000

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp, 1965

Annual personal earnings in 2000 dollars

Intermarriage 6

38%

32%

18%

17%

15%

10%

0 10 20 30

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children, 2000

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp, 2000

Percent married to a Non-Hispanic

Ethnic identity among children 7

44%

43%

43%

10%

15%

28%

33%

30%

25%

12%

12%

5%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children, 2000

Mexican American Mexican Pan-ethnic American or other

Education is key 8

Socio-economic background

Social capital (professionals, church, contact with school)

Catholic school

Education

Socio-economic status

Residential segregation

Intermarriage

Spanish Proficiency

Fertility

Voting

Immigration attitudes

Exp. with discrimination

Think of self as Am.

Implications

  Our findings consistent with the idea that Mexican Americans are racialized

  Not fully allowed to incorporate into American society

  However not in the manner or to the same extent as African Americans

  But clearly less accepted than European immigrant groups of a century ago

9

END 10

Main research question

  To what extent are Mexican Americans assimilating into U.S. society over several generations?

11

Origins 12

  This story begins in 1965 to 1970 …

13

How did we come to do our project?

  Original materials from the 1965 Mexican American Study Project discovered in UCLA Library in late 1992

  Found were surveys with names and addresses   Decided to re-interview original respondents and

interview their adult children   Our study would serve as a follow-up to the classic

The Mexican American People

14

Key sample and comparisons

Children 2000

Original Respondents

1965/2000

Gen. 1 21%

Gen. 2 52%

Gen. 3 27%

Gen. 2 24%

Gen. 3 52%

Gen. 4 24%

15

Methodology 16

Original study Interviewed in 1965 (65-66) Los Angeles and San Antonio 1500 Adults, age 18-80

Longitudinal study Re-interviewed original respondents

Interviews in 2000 (1998-2002) Selected age 18-50

Inter-generational study Adult children 0-2 children per family

Original respondent sample 17

Searched for 1200, age 18-50

Located 79% of original respondents

Interviewed 687 original respondents

Response rate of 57%

Adult child sample 18

Selected 0-2 children per family

Adult children, ages 30-50s

Interviewed 758 children

Response rate of 67%

What is assimilation?

  The process by which groups change and integrate after settling in a new country

  Long term process which takes place over several generations

  Change is inevitable, although full assimilation may not be achieved

  Happens at different rates and to different extents

19

How do we study assimilation?

  Compare groups from different countries  Other studies

  Compare by generation  Our study compares first, second, third, and fourth

generation

20

What do we already know about assimilation?

  Study of European groups who came to U.S. at the beginning of the 20th century

  Found to be fully assimilated by 3rd generation  Structurally, culturally, politically

  Model not applicable to African Americans   How does this apply to Mexican Americans?

21

How does this apply to Mexican Americans?

  Some argue Mexican Americans are assimilating,  Taking a little longer, i.e., more generations

  Others argue that Mexican Americans are racialized  Treated more like a racial group  Treatment based on physical characteristics  Faced discrimination  Not allowed to incorporate

22

Major outcomes 23

  Structural assimilation  Like education and job status

  Contact with other groups  Like intermarriage and residential segregation

  Ethnic identity  Like preferred ethnic label

  Political attitudes  Like attitudes toward immigration and affirmative

action

1. Structural assimilation

  Education   Socio-economic status

 Earnings  Homeownership

24

12.4

13.1

13.1

10.4

10.0

7.4

0.0 3.0 6.0 9.0 12.0

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Original Resp

Years of education

25

Education

Earnings 26

$30,600

$37,600

$36,300

$29,300

$29,200

$25,600

$0 $10,000 $20,000 $30,000

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children, 2000

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp, 1965

Annual personal earnings in 2000 dollars

Homeownership 27

49%

58%

59%

47%

55%

54%

0 10 20 30 40 50

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children, 2000

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp, 1965

Percent who own a home

Summary on structural assimilation

  Education does not increase with generation beyond generation 1

  Indicates little assimilation on education!   Socio-economic status also does not increase with

generation   Little assimilation on socio-economic status!   Modest earnings and homeownership for original

respondents and children

28

2. Contact with other groups

  Intermarriage  Married to non-Hispanic

  Residential segregation  Live in a Hispanic neighborhood

29

Intermarriage 30

38%

32%

18%

17%

15%

10%

0 10 20 30

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children, 2000

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp, 2000

Percent married to a Non-Hispanic

Residential segregation 31

38 %

45%

54%

38%

49%

59%

0 10 20 30 40 50

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children, 2000

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp, 1965

Percent living in mostly Hispanic neighborhood Neighborhood is 50% or more Hispanic

Summary on contact with other groups

  Intermarriage increases with generation   Remains less than 40% in generation 4   Residential segregation decreases with

generation   Indicates assimilation, although somewhat slow

and incomplete

32

3. Ethnic identity

  Question about ethnic origins or background   Categories

 Mexican  Mexican American, includes Chicano  Pan Ethnic

 Latin American/Spanish American  Hispanic/Latino

 American/other

33

Ethnic identity among original respondents 34

43%

10%

51%

26%

15%

21%

19%

27%

25%

30%

67%

56%

26%

44%

14%

31%

11%

20%

13%

19%

10%

12%

12%

4%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2000

1965

Generation 3

2000

1965

Generation 2

2000

1965

Generation 1

Mexican American Mexican Pan-ethnic American or other

Ethnic identity among children 35

44%

43%

43%

10%

15%

28%

33%

30%

25%

12%

12%

5%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children, 2000

Mexican American Mexican Pan-ethnic American or other

Summary on ethnic identity

  Significant change over time  Used to be Latin American/Spanish  Now Mexican American

  Little change with generation  Mostly as Mexican American  Except immigrants more as Mexican

  Most identify ethnically while few identify as American

36

4. Political attitudes

  Immigration attitudes  “Mexicans should be able to immigrate”

  Racial attitudes  “Affirmative action is a good thing for persons of

Mexican origin”

37

Attitude toward immigration 38

53%

54%

53%

56%

63%

72%

0 20 40 60

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children 2000

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp 2000

Percent who agree that immigrants should be able to immigrate

Attitude toward affirmative action 39

75%

73%

80%

80%

78%

85%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children, 2000

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp, 2000

Percent who agree that affirmative action is good for Mexicans

Summary on political attitudes

  Original respondents  Less positive attitude toward immigration by generation

  Children  Little change in immigration and affirmative attitudes

by generation

40

Summary on generational differences

  Little assimilation on key indicators of education and socio-economic status

  Some assimilation in contact with other groups   Intermarriage and residential segregation increases with

generational status

  Some assimilation in political attitudes   Some generational differences among original respondents  No generational differences among children

  So if not generation, what is affecting these outcomes?

41

Socio-economic status by education 42

71%

69%

59%

46%

42%

21%

0% 15% 30% 45% 60%

Own home

Family income gt $50,000

Less than HS HS graduate or some college College graduate

Among adult children

Contact with other groups by education 43

44%

43%

22%

28%

20%

17%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Live in integrated neighbor-

hood

Inter-married

Less than HS HS graduate or some college College graduate

Among adult children

Education

1. Socio-economic status

2. Residential segregation

3. Intermarriage

4. Spanish proficiency

5. Fertility

6. Vote

7. Immigration attitudes

8. Exp. discrimination

44 9. Think of self as American

What affects education?

45

Education

Socio-Economic

Status Parents education

Parents income Parents homeowner Number of siblings

Social Capital Knew professionals Attended church

Communicated with school

Catholic School

Cultural Language

Expectations

Segregation Residential Educational

Industrial Structure

Urban area Manufacturing

Individual Gender, Age

Skin Color

Generational status

46

Summary on educational effects

  Significant effects of education especially on socio-economic status

  Also intermarriage, residential segregation, identity, and political attitudes related to education

  Explains more than does generational status

47

Why do we find little assimilation?

  Low expectations toward Mexicans in society  They come to the US to do least paid and lowest

status jobs

  Few educational opportunities and poor educational systems  Public schools   Inadequate funding  Tracking  Teachers’ expectations

  Is this an experience of racialization?

48

Racial experiences among children 49

46%

66%

48%

56%

48%

59%

0% 20% 40% 60%

Experienced Discrimination

Stereotyped by others

Generation 2 Generation 3 Generation 4

Implications

  Our findings consistent with the idea that Mexican Americans are racialized

  Not fully allowed to incorporate into American society

  However not in the manner or to the same extent as African Americans

  But clearly less accepted than European immigrant groups of a century ago

50

END 51

Sources used to locate respondents, Los Angeles

52

Personal contacts 28% Directories 14% Historical directories 9% Voter registration 34% Property 33% Marriage 14% Death 10% Drivers license 11% Other public 5% Credit header 23% Internet sources 7%

Moved away from 1965 urban area 53

15%

2%

22%

11%

0%

10%

20%

30%

Los Angeles (17%) San Antonio (7%)

Original Respondents Children

Located and response rates 54

Original Respondents Located 79% Response rate 57%

Children Response rate 68%

Located by Homeowner in 1965 55

89%

68%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Homeowner Renter

Years of Education Among Immigrant Groups

6.4 7.3 7.3

9.9

11.2

9.4 10.5 10.8 11.2

10.1

11.7

0.0

3.0

6.0

9.0

12.0

56

Did Italian-Americans want to assimilate?

  The group … conspicuous for its retardation in the process of assimilation is … Italians from southern Italian, including their American born children

  As an illustration, the slow progress of Italians … in learning to speak English may be cited

  From the immigrant’s point of view, there was no obvious need for … formal education

  [A child of immigrants] states: … “when I expressed my intention of continuing with high school and … [more] education, my parents … raised an indescribable fury. Seven more years of schooling? Whoever heard of such a thing!”

  the Italian in America … is least likely to “invest” in the education of his children

From Leonard Covello, The Social Background of Italo-American School Children, 1967, pp. 276, 279, 287, 307, 310

57

Did Italian Americans assimilate?

Years of Education, 1980

Italians 12.7

Whites 12.7

Among men, Italian ancestry, born in the U.S., age 25 and older, census data

58

Language

  Speak English and Spanish

  Address questions  Do immigrants/Latinos/Mexicans learn English?  To what extent are they bilingual?

59

Speak English 60

96%

92%

49%

0 20 40 60 80 100

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp

Percent who speak well or very well

Speak Spanish 61

36%

40%

79%

75%

87%

98%

0 20 40 60 80 100

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp

Percent who speak well or very well

Speaking English and length of time in U.S.

From Ortiz in Waldinger, p 273; LA Region

72%

66%

59%

41%

0% 20% 40% 60%

> 30 years

20-30 years

10-20 years

0-10 years

Speak only English or English very well among Mexican immigrants

62

Speaking English and age of coming to U.S.

From Lopez in Waldinger, p 157; LA Region, Age 25-44

14%

19%

31%

72%

83%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

30 or older

20-29

10-19

6-9

0-5

Speak only English or English very well among Latino immigrants

63

Summary on Language

  Mexican Americans born in the U.S. learn English!   1st generation (immigrants) speaks English less   4th generation still speaks Spanish   Is bilingualism really a bad thing?

64

Generation by urban area

Total Gen. 1 Gen. 2 Gen. 3

Los Angeles 434 26% 52% 22%

San Antonio 250 13% 52% 35%

65

12%

23%

13%

41%

0 10 20 30 40

San Antonio

Los Angeles

Children, 2000

San Antonio

Los Angeles

Orig Resp, 2000

Union membership

Ethnic Identity: Original Respondents and Children

67

10%

15%

28%

19%

25%

67%

44%

43%

43%

43%

51%

15%

33%

30%

25%

26%

14%

11%

12%

12%

5%

13%

10%

7%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children, 2000

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp, 2000

Mexican Mexican American Pan-ethnic American or Other

Ethnic Identity 68

10%

15%

28%

19%

25%

67%

27%

30%

56%

44%

43%

43%

43%

51%

15%

10%

26%

21%

33%

30%

25%

26%

14%

11%

44%

31%

20%

12%

12%

5%

13%

10%

7%

19%

12%

4%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Gen. 4 Gen. 3 Gen. 2

Children, 2000 Gen. 3 Gen. 2 Gen. 1

Orig Resp, 2000 Gen. 3 Gen. 2 Gen. 1

Orig Resp, 1965

Mexican Mexican American Pan-ethnic American or Other

MexicanMexicanAmerican

Pan‐ethnicAmericanor

OtherOriginalResp,1965

Genera3on1 56% 21% 20% 4%

Genera3on2 30% 26% 31% 12%

Genera3on3 27% 10% 44% 19%

OriginalResp,2000

Genera3on1 67% 15% 11% 7%

Genera3on2 25% 51% 14% 10%

Genera3on3 19% 43% 26% 13%

Children,2000

Genera3on2 28% 43% 25% 5%

Genera3on3 15% 43% 30% 12%

Genera3on4 10% 44% 33% 12%

Ethnic Identity 69

Vote for a Republican Presidential Candidate 70

18%

17%

16%

17%

11%

6%

0 5 10 15

Gen. 4

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Children, 2000

Gen. 3

Gen. 2

Gen. 1

Orig Resp, 2000

Percent Voting for Dole (vs. Clinton) in 1996

Ethnic Identity by Education among Children

71

5%

10%

15%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

Less than HS HS graduate/some college

College graduate

Percent Identifying as American or Other

Political Involvement by Education 72

43%

65%

80%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Less than HS HS graduate/some college

College graduate

Voting in 1996 Among Adult Children

1965 Study

  Surveyed in 1965-66   1500 respondents   Los Angeles and San Antonio

 900 in LA  600 in SA

  Head of household or spouse   Mexican origin or Spanish origin   Adults between 18-80s

73

Assimilation in the popular discourse

  Immigrants “should assimilate”   Immigrants of the past “did assimilate”   Immigrants of the past “worked to assimilate”   Immigrants today “don’t want to assimilate”   Immigrants today “don’t try to assimilate”

74

Our assumptions about assimilation

  Inevitable process, thus theoretically relevant to know how much has it happened

  Not a value judgment—not studying whether immigrants “should” or “want to” assimilate

75

Assumptions about assimilation

  In popular discourse   Immigrants “should assimilate”   Immigrants of the past “did assimilate” and “worked to

assimilate”   Immigrants today “don’t want to assimilate” and “don’t

try to assimilate”

  Sociologists  Make no assumption about desire or effort to assimilate  Consider it inevitable  Largely by structural forces

76

What is the role of race?

  Race—social categories that have real/material consequences

  Racialize—treated differently due to being a member of particular racial group

  Racialization—the process of treating particular racial groups differently

  We address whether this applies to Mexican Americans

77

Summary of our book

  Significant assimilation in language  All Mexican Americans born in the US speak English

  Other dimensions, assimilation but slow  E.g., intermarriage and residential segregation

  Assimilation in politics among original respondents  But not among children

  Key indicators of education and socio-economic status, no assimilation  No increase with generational status

78

Summary of our book

  Slow assimilation  E.g., intermarriage and residential segregation

  Assimilation in politics among original respondents  But not among children

  Key indicators of education and socio-economic status, no assimilation  No increase with generational status

79