Massey: wealthy, educated immigrants less likely to seek U.S. citizenship
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wealthy, Educated Immigrants Less Likely to Seek Citizenship
- Socio-economic benefits can be obtained without naturalization,
Princeton study finds -
Princeton, N.J. – January 17, 2007 - A new Princeton study has
revealed surprising behavioral patterns of wealthy and well-educated
immigrants in the United States. The study, published in the Social
Science Quarterly, finds that greater achievement often does not lead
to greater satisfaction with the U.S., or with the American
lifestyle. The study was led by immigration expert Douglas Massey, a
professor of sociology at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and
International Affairs at Princeton University.
Immigrants with high levels of education were found to be less
satisfied in general with life in the U.S., perhaps, because of an
awareness of the value of their skills and, therefore, a
disappointment in expectations for life in America. Immigrants who
owned property in the US, and those at the top socio-economic levels
were less likely to aspire to citizenship than others.
The study also found that immigrants who intended to become citizens,
but not to settle permanently in the U.S., were most likely to send
large amounts of money home, while those who planned to stay sent
much less. Immigrants intending to become naturalized were less
likely to leave the country for extended amounts of time.
The results of this study point to a view of immigration greatly
affected by globalization. The study’s lead author, Douglas Massey,
notes, “the picture that emerges from this analysis is of a fluid and
dynamic global market for human capital in which the bearers of
skills, education and abilities seek to maximize earnings in the
short term while retaining little commitment to any particular
society or national labor market over the longer term.”
Nationally recognized as one of the top journals in the field, Social
Science Quarterly publishes current research on a broad range of
topics including political science, sociology, economics, history,
social work, geography, international studies, and women’s studies.