Identifying Indigenous Mexicans

and Central Americans in Survey Research

Susan Gabbard Daniel Carroll

Immigration Reform: Implications for Farmers, Farm Workers and Communities

May 27, 2010

Indigenous Mexicans and Central Americans

 Descendents of Mexico and Central America’s pre-Columbian population, Mayan and other groups

 Distinct histories and cultures   Up to 90 indigenous languages spoken in

Mexico  Mostly from poor, rural areas  Began migrating to the United States in

the early 1980s   Increasing migration since late 1990s

Challenges of Identifying   Important to identify because of unique

challenges in labor relations, service delivery, social and civic integration

 Multi-faceted definition of indigenous   Language   Geography   Race/ethnicity - self-identification

 Discrimination and self-identification

The National Agricultural Workers Survey   Agriculture as a point of entry for poor, often rural,

immigrants   NAWS is a national probability survey of field

workers in crop agriculture   US Dept of Labor sponsors and conducted by

Aguirre Division of JBS International   Establishment survey: Find workers through their

employers   Complex sampling: multi-stage, stratified, cluster   AAPOR4 response rate for establishments is 40%,

Grower cooperation 60-70%, List issues reduce RR   Worker response rate is >90%   Survey mostly done in Spanish

West Central

North

South

Mexican Sending Regions

1992-1994 1995-1997 1998-2000 2001-2003 2004-2006 2007-2009

West Central 45% 41% 47% 44% 44% 45%

North 45% 43% 32% 32% 29% 27%

South 10% 16% 21% 23% 27% 27%

0

10

20

30

40

50

1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009

The race question

Primary Language

Indigenous Languages 1999-2007

Achi Aguateco Amuzgo Cakchiquel Chatino Chinanteco Chuj Cora Garifuna Ixil

Quiche

Tarasco

Tepehuano

Tlapaneco

Triqui

Tzeltal

Tzotzil

Visayo

Zapoteco

Jacalteco Kanjobal Mam Maya Mazateco Mixteco Nahuatl Otomi Popti Purepecha

Different Ways of Measuring Indigenous Mexicans and

Central Americans

As a percent of Mexican and Central American Farmworkers

Race, Child or Primary Language 17% 14% Race 3% 5% 9% 11% 13% 11% Child Language 6% 6%

Primary language 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 2%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009

Race, Child or Primary Language

Race

Child Language

Primary language

Percent of Indigenous Respondents* Identified by:

*Defined as an affirmative answer to any race or language question

Fifty-five percent of Indigenous respondents were identified only by race, 22% by race and language, 15% by child language, and 8% by primary/child language.

Indigenous Respondents by Migrant-Sending Regions

Percent of indigenous respondents identified by: South

West Central Total

Primary Language 27% 3% 21%

Child Language 57% 8% 46%

Race 75% 92% 76%

Only identified by child language 16% 5% 16%

Summary   Indigenous identity is multi-faceted and

nuanced  Multiple question approach better

identifies and allows exploration of components of indigenous identity

 Need for better geographic measure – municipio of respondent/parent

Contact Susan Gabbard Aguirre Division of JBS International 555 Airport Boulevard sgabbard@jbsinternational.com