英语论文
原创论文
留学生作业
英语论文格式
免费论文
essay
英国硕士论文
英国毕业论文
英语论文
留学生论文
澳大利亚论文
新西兰论文
澳洲Report
澳洲留学生论文
美国留学论文
Dissertation
美国硕博论文
essay case
Eassy
Term paper
英语毕业论文
英文论文
课程作业
德语论文
德语专业论文
德语本科论文
德国留学论文
Assignment
日语论文
韩语论文
法语论文
俄语论文

SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDRE

时间:2021-09-01 来源:未知 编辑:梦想论文 阅读:
About the Authors
 
This report is a joint effort of survey researchers, demographers and writers in the Pew
Research Center. Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center, wrote the
overview and provided editorial guidance for the report. Senior writer D’Vera Cohn wrote the
demographic analysis in Chapter 2 with data analysis and advice from research associate Ana
Gonzalez-Barrera, senior demographer Jeffrey S. Passel and senior researcher Gretchen M.
Livingston. Wendy Wang, research associate, number-checked Chapter 2 along with the
detailed demographic tables in Appendix 1 and the analysis of intermarriage in Chapter 5.
Chapter 3 was written by Livingston. Chapters 4 and 6 were written by senior researcher Cary
Funk. Rich Morin, senior editor, wrote Chapters 5 and 7 with the assistance of Funk and
Livingston. The analysis of intermarriage in Chapter 5 also benefited from the advice of Passel
and Wang. Research assistant Eileen Patten number-checked Chapters 1, 3, 4 and 5. Research
assistant Seth Motel number-checked Chapters 6 and 7 and prepared charts and tables for
Chapters 1 and 2. Patten, Motel and Gonzalez-Barrera also assisted with other aspects of the
report including compiling and checking the topline of findings, preparing charts and
formatting the final report. The report was copy-edited by Marcia Kramer of Kramer Editing
Services.
 
The report also benefited from the advice and guidance of Mark Hugo Lopez, associate director
of Pew Research Hispanic Center; Rakesh Kochhar, associate director of research of Pew
Research Hispanic Center; Kim Parker, associate director of Pew Research’s Social &
Demographic Trends project; Phillip Connor, research associate in the Pew Research Center’s
Forum on Religion & Public Life; Scott Keeter, the Pew Research Center’s director of survey
research; and Leah Christian, senior researcher in the Pew Research Center.
 
4
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Notes on Terminology
 
All references to whites, blacks and others are to the non-Hispanic components of those
populations. Asians include a small number of Hispanics. Whites, blacks and Asians are single-
race-only groups. “Others” includes persons reporting single races not listed separately and
persons reporting more than one race.
 
The terms “Latino” and “Hispanic” are used interchangeably in this report.
 
“Foreign born” refers to people born outside of the United States, Puerto Rico or other U.S.
territories to parents neither of whom was a U.S. citizen. “Foreign born” and “immigrant” and
“first generation” are used interchangeably. Unauthorized immigrants are included in this
group.
 
“Native born” or “U.S. born” refer to people who are U.S. citizens at birth, including those born
in the United States, Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories and those born abroad to parents at
least one of whom was a U.S. citizen.
 
“Multi-generational family households” refer to those that include at least two adult
generations (with the younger generation including at least one adult who is 25 years old or
older) or households consisting of grandparents and grandchildren, with no parent present.
 
References to demographic data for all adults or the total population are to the civilian
noninstitutional population included in the Current Population Survey. See Methodology for
more information.
 
Immigrant Generations
 
“First generation” or “foreign born” refers to people born outside of the United States to
parents neither of whom was a U.S. citizen. For this report, people born in Puerto Rico or other
 
U.S. territories are not considered foreign born.
“Second generation” refers to people born in the United States, with at least one first-
generation (immigrant) parent. People born in Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories with at
least one parent born in a different country are considered second generation.
 
5
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
“Third and higher generation” refers to people born in the United States, including Puerto Rico
or other U.S. territories with both parents born in the United States, including Puerto Rico or
other U.S. territories.
 
 
6
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Table of Contents
 
PAGE
 
Chapter 1: Overview
 
Chapter 2: Demographic Portrait of Adult Children of Immigrants
 
Chapter 3: Identity
 
Chapter 4: Standard of Living
 
Chapter 5: Intergroup Relations
 
Chapter 6: Political and Social Issues
 
Chapter 7: Country Comparisons, Personal Values and Goals,
Perceptions of Group Success
 
Appendices
 
1 Detailed Demographic Tables
 
2 Methodology
 
3 Question Wording and Topline Results
 
Copyright . 2013 Pew Research Center
7
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW
 
Second-generation Americans—the 20 million
adult U.S.-born children of immigrants—are
substantially better off than immigrants
themselves on key measures of socioeconomic
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. Pew Research surveys find
that the second generations of both groups are
much more likely than the 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.”
 
The Pew Research surveys also find that
second-generation Hispanics and Asian
Americans place more importance than does
the general public on hard work and career
success. They are more inclined to call
themselves liberal and less likely to identify as
Republicans. And for the most part they are
more likely to 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.
 
Comparing Immigrants, the Second
Generation and All U.S. Adults
 
(1st generation refers to immigrants)
 
Median annual household income (in dollars)
 
1st gen. 45,800
2nd gen. 58,100
All U.S. 58,200
 
College graduates (% of ages 25 and older)
 
1st gen.
 
29
2nd gen.
36
 
 
All U.S.
 
31
 
Homeownership rate (% of households)
 
1st gen.
 
51
 
2nd gen.
 
 
All U.S.
 
In poverty (% of adults)
 
1st gen.
 
 
18
 
2nd gen.
 
11
 
All U.S.
 
13
 
Notes: Based on adults. Annual income figure is adjusted and
standardized to a household size of three; see Methodology.
College graduates include those with a bachelor’s degree or
more. See Terminology for more on definition of generations.
 
Source: 2012 data from Pew Research Center analysis of
Current Population surveys, Integrated Public Use Microdata
Series (IPUMS) file
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
8
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
As the U.S. Congress gears up
 
to consider immigration First- and Second-Generation Share of the
legislation, this new Pew Population, Actual and Projected, 1900-2050
Research report on second-%
generation Americans looks at
 
1st generation
 
2nd generationthe attitudes, values, life 40
 
priorities, economic 34.5
 
Actual Projected
 
experiences, intergroup
relations and identity markers 30
 
24.5
 
of a group that will have a
significant impact on the 20
nation’s economy and politics
for decades to come.
 
10
 
Given current immigration
trends and birth rates, 0
virtually all (93%) of the
 
growth of the nation’s Notes: Based on total population, including children and adults.
 
Source: 2000-2012 data and all second-generation data from Pew Research Center
 
working-age population
 
analysis of Current Population surveys, Integrated Microdata Sample (IPUMS) files;
Pew Hispanic Center projections for 2020 to 2050 from Passel and Cohn (2008);
 
between now and 2050 will be
 
historical trend from Passel and Cohn (2008) and Edmonston and Passel (1994)
 
accounted for by immigrants PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
and their U.S.-born children,
according to a population projection by the Pew Research Center.
 
 
By then, the nation’s “immigrant stock” (first and second generations combined, adults and
children combined) could grow from 76 million now to more than 160 million, at which point
it would comprise a record share (37%) of the U.S. population.1
 
 
The focus of this report is on the 20 million adult members of the second generation (an
additional 16 million U.S-born children of immigrants are under the age of 18).
 
 
This is a heterogeneous group that includes many younger Hispanic, Asian-American and
white adults who are the children of modern-era immigrants as well as many older adults who
are mostly the children of European immigrants who arrived as part of an earlier immigration
wave that peaked a century ago.
 
 
1 These population projections were conducted in 2008. See Pew Research Social & Demographic Trends project “U.S. Population
Projections: 2005-2050,” February 2008. The population projections will be updated later this year.
 
1900 1930 1960 1990 2020 2050
 
 
9
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Given the diversity of this population, two
caveats are in order. First, the data presented
here should not be interpreted as proving or
disproving that there has been upward
mobility between immigrant parents and their
children.2 That’s because many of today’s
second generation are not the children of
today’s immigrants; many are the children of
early 20th-century immigrants, now deceased.
Second, the aggregate data on today’s second
generation conceal what are often large
subgroup differences by race and ethnicity.
Whenever possible in this report, we
disaggregate findings by these and other
relevant demographic characteristics.
 
Here is a summary of key findings:
 
.
Educational and Economic
Attainment: Adults in the second
 
Immigrant Adult Generation by
Race and Ethnicity
 
%
 
White
 
Black
 
Hispanic
 
Asian
 
Other
 
66 11 15 5
 
All U.S. adults
 
20 8 47 25
 
1st generation
 
46 354 12
 
2nd generation
 
78 13 6
 
3rd and higher
generations
 
Notes: Asians include Hispanics; all other races include non-
Hispanics only. Data values for other race are not shown.
 
Source: 2012 data from Pew Research Center analysis of
Current Population surveys, Integrated Public Use Microdata
Series (IPUMS) files
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
generation are doing better than those in the first generation in median household income
($58,000 versus $46,000); college degrees (36% versus 29%); and homeownership (64%
versus 51%). They are less likely to be in poverty (11% versus 18%) and less likely to have
not finished high school (10% versus 28%). Most of these favorable comparisons hold up
not just in the aggregate but also within each racial/ethnic subgroup (e.g., second-
generation Hispanics do better than first-generation Hispanics; second-generation whites
 
Defining the Immigration Generations
 
All adults: Refers to the full population of 234.7 million U.S. adults (ages 18 and older).
 
First-generation adult: Refers to the 37.4 million immigrant adults who live in the United States but were
born outside the United States or U.S. territories.
 
Second-generation adult: Refers to the 19.7 million U.S.-born adults who have at least one immigrant
parent.
 
Third- and higher-generation adult: Refers to the 177.7 million adults who are the children of U.S.-born
parents.
 
2 Comparisons between today’s second generation and their parents’ generation at a similar stage in life would require
longitudinal data that extends over a long period of time. This report is a current cross-sectional snapshot of today’s adult first
and second generations, many of whom are not each other’s parents or children.
 
10
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
do better than first-generation whites, and
 
Share Who Think of Themselves as
 
so on).
 
A ‘Typical American’
 
.
Identity: Pew Research surveys of %
Hispanics and Asian Americans—the
 
1st generation
 
2nd generation
 
groups that comprise the bulk of the
 
33
 
modern immigration wave—find that Hispanic
61
 
 
roughly six-in-ten adults in the second
generation consider themselves to be a
 
 
30
“typical American,” about double the share Asian American
 
 
61
 
of immigrants who say the same. Still, most
 
in the second generation also have a strong
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Very different
from a typical American” and “Don’t know/Refused” not
 
sense of identity with their ancestral roots.
 
shown.
 
Majorities say they identify themselves
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q54, 2012 Asian-
most often by their family’s country of American Survey Q24
origin (i.e., Mexican, Chinese American) or PEW RESEARCH CENTER
by a pan-ethnic or racial label (i.e.,
Hispanic or Asian American). Some 37% of
second-generation Hispanics and 27% of second-generation Asian Americans say they
most often describe themselves simply as “American.”
 
.
Intergroup Relations: About half of second-generation Latinos (52%) and about two-
thirds of Asian Americans (64%) say their group gets along well with all other major racial
and ethnic groups in America; smaller shares of Latino (26%) and Asian-American (49%)
immigrants say the same. The second generations of these groups are also more likely than
the immigrants to say they have friends outside of their ethnic or country of origin group.
 
11
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
.
Intermarriage. About
one-in-six (15%) married
second-generation adults
have a spouse of a
different race or ethnicity
from themselves,
compared with 8% of all
immigrants and 8% of all
 
U.S. adults. Intermarriage
rates are especially high
for second-generation
Hispanics (26%) and
Asian Americans (23%).
.
Belief in Hard Work.
About three-quarters of
second-generation
Hispanics (78%) and
Asian Americans (72%)
say that most people can
get ahead if they’re willing
to work hard. Similar
shares of the immigrant
generations of these
groups agree. By contrast,
58% of the full U.S.
population of adults feel
the same way, while 40%
say that hard work is no
guarantee of success.
 
Characteristics of Adults by Immigrant
Generation, 2012
 
% (unless otherwise noted)
 
Generation
 
1st 2nd 3rd+ Total
Population (in millions) 37.4 19.7 177.7 234.7
Share of population 16 8 76 100
White share of generation 20 46 78 66
Black share of generation 8 4 13 11
Hispanic share of generation 47 35 6 15
Asian share of generation 25 12 <0.5 5
Median age (in years) 43 38 47 46
Married 63 42 53 54
Fertility (women ages 15-44)
Had a birth in the past 12 months 9 6 6 7
Of these, % unmarried 23 41 40 36
Educational attainment (ages 25+)
Less than high school 28 10 9 12
Bachelor’s degree or more 29 36 31 31
Median household income ($) 45,800 58,100 60,600 58,200
Average household size (persons) 3.1 2.4 2.4 2.5
Homeownership (householders) 51 64 68 65
Persons in poverty 18 11 12 13
 
Notes: Asians include Hispanics; all other races include non-Hispanics only.
Unmarried women include those who are divorced, separated, widowed or never
married. Annual income figure is adjusted and standardized to a household size of
three; see Methodology. Population does not add to total due to rounding.
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population surveys, Integrated
Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files; fertility data from 2004-2010 CPS and all
other data from 2012 CPS
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
12
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
.
Political and Social Values: Second-
generation Hispanics and Asian Political Party
 
Americans, as well the first generation of
 
% identifying with either political party
 
each group, identify more with the
 
Rep/lean Rep
 
Dem/lean Dem
 
Democratic Party than the Republican
 
Hispanics
 
Party and characterize themselves as
liberals at higher rates than the general All
public. About half or more of the second 1st generation
 
18 66
 
16 63
 
generation believe that abortion should be
 
2nd generation
 
legal, and more than two-thirds say
homosexuality should be accepted by Asian Americans
society. The relative youth of the second All
generation contributes to, but does not
 
1st generation
 
fully explain, their liberal political
leanings. 2nd generation
 
19 71
 
28 50
 
27 49
 
32 52
 
.
Nonmarital Childbearing: In what
 
General public
 
some scholars have described as a pattern
 
39 49
 
of negative assimilation, 41% of second-Notes: Based on all adults. Those who refuse to lean not
shown.
 
generation women who recently gave birth
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q61-62, 2012
were unmarried, compared with 23% of Asian-American Survey PARTY-PARTYLN, Pew Research
Center surveys 2012 average for general public
 
immigrant women who recently gave
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
birth. The higher share of nonmarital
childbearing among the second generation
has been driven mostly by second-generation Hispanic women (52% of these women with a
recent birth were unmarried). Among the U.S. population as a whole, 36% of women who
recently gave birth were not married.3
 
.
Language Usage: About nine-in-ten second-generation Hispanic and Asian-American
immigrants are proficient English speakers, substantially more than the immigrant
generations of these groups. When it comes to retaining one’s ancestral language, there are
sizable differences by race and ethnicity. Eight-in-ten second-generation Hispanics say
they can speak Spanish at least pretty well; just four-in-ten second-generation Asian
Americans say the same about their parents’ native tongue.
 
.
Perceptions of Generational Mobility. By lopsided margins, most second-generation
Hispanics (67%) and Asian Americans (75%) say their standard of living is better than that
of their parents at the same stage of life. Similar shares of the immigrant generations of
 
3 The 36% share of births to unmarried mothers shown here differs from the 41% figure published by the National Center for
Health Statistics (NCHS) for 2010. There are two main reason for this: 1) while the NCHS records maternal marital status at the
time of the birth, the CPS records marital status at the time of the survey, which may be up to a year after the birth, by which
time some new mothers will have married, and 2) the number here is based upon a combined sample of Current Population
Survey data that extends back to 2004, when the prevalence of nonmarital fertility was lower.
 
 
13
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
both groups say the same. By contrast, 60%
of the full U.S. population feel the same way.
Looking ahead, two-thirds of second-
generation Hispanics, but 41% of Asians,
believe their own children will eventually
surpass their current standard of living.
Overall, 48% of American adults say the
same.
 
.
Comparisons with Parents’ Country of
Origin: Seven-in-ten second-generation
Asian Americans and eight-in-ten (81%)
second-generation Hispanics say that
conditions for raising children are better in
the U.S. than in their parents’ country of
origin. Like immigrants, they also rate the
 
U.S more favorably than their ancestral
country in terms of treatment of the poor
and the opportunity to get ahead. Less than
half of both generations rate the U.S. as
better than their ancestral country as a place
to maintain strong family ties.
.
Population Projections. Immigrants
tend to have higher birth rates than do
native-born Americans.4 If current
immigration flows and birth rates continue,
then by 2050, an estimated 37% of the U.S.
population—highest in modern history—will
be immigrants or the children of
immigrants, according to a 2008 Pew
Research population projection. That
projection also shows that, because of the
aging of the Baby Boomer generation, as
much as 93% of the growth of the working-
age population between now and then will
be accounted for by immigrants (43%) or
their U.S.-born children (50%).
 
Projected Population Growth
2012-2050, by Generation and
Age Group
 
in millions (unless otherwise noted)
 
Generation
1st 2nd 3rd+ Total
Total population
 
2012 population 40.0 35.7 233.1 308.8
2012 share 13% 12% 75% 100%
2050 population 81.3 80.6 276.3 438.2
2050 share 19% 18% 63% 100%
 
Projected growth 41.3 44.9 43.1 129.3
Rate of growth 103% 126% 19% 42%
Share of growth 32% 35% 33% 100%
 
Adults (ages 18+)
 
2012 population 37.4 19.7 177.7 234.7
2012 share 16% 8% 76% 100%
2050 population 75.4 52.3 208.7 336.3
2050 share 22% 16% 62% 100%
 
Projected growth 38.0 32.6 31.0 101.6
Rate of growth 102% 166% 17% 43%
Share of growth 37% 32% 31% 100%
 
Working-age adults
(Ages 18-64)
 
2012 population 32.4 15.5 145.3 193.2
2012 share 17% 8% 75% 100%
2050 population 59.2 46.4 149.5 255.0
2050 share 23% 18% 59% 100%
 
Projected growth 26.8 30.8 4.2 61.8
Rate of growth 83% 198% 3% 32%
Share of growth 43% 50% 7% 100%
 
Notes: Total population includes children and adults.
Population does not add to total due to rounding.
 
Source: 2012 data from Pew Research Center analysis of
Current Population surveys, Integrated Microdata Sample
(IPUMS) files; Pew Hispanic Center projections from Passel
and Cohn (2008)
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
4 See Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends project “Immigrant Women Lead Recent Drop in U.S. Births and Birth
Rates,” November 2012.
 
 
14
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Group Differences within the Second Generation
 
The modern immigration wave to this country began with the passage of landmark legislation
in 1965 that had the effect, for the first time in the nation’s history, of opening U.S. borders on
a roughly equal basis to non-Europeans as well as Europeans. Half of the 44 million
immigrants who have come since then have been from Latin America, about a quarter (27%)
from Asia, and the remainder from other regions.5 In the nation’s two previous immigration
waves during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, nearly nine-in-ten new arrivals were
Europeans.
 
Hispanics and Asian Americans are the focus of the Pew Research survey research findings in
this report. Each of these groups include immigrants from more than a dozen countries, all
with unique cultures, characteristics and migration histories.6
 
Despite these country-of-origin differences, some broad patterns are evident. The bulk of
Hispanic immigrants have relatively low levels of formal education and work in low-skilled,
low-paying jobs, while the majority of Asian immigrants (especially those who have arrived in
the past few decades) have relatively high levels of education and skills that help position them
for jobs in higher-skilled occupations.
 
These large racial or ethnic group differences in the human capital of recent immigrants are
echoed in the socioeconomic profile of the second generation. For example, some 55% of
second-generation Asian Americans have a bachelor’s degree or more, compared with 21% of
Hispanics. There are also gaps in household income and poverty rates among second-
generation Hispanics and Asian Americans.
 
But while large gaps remain between groups, it is also the case that within each group, the
second generation is doing better than the first on most key measures of economic success.
 
5 The roughly 44 million immigrants who arrived from 1965 to 2011 includes both legal and unauthorized immigrants in the total
 
U.S. population. This figure is higher than the number of immigrants currently in the U.S. population because some immigrants
have left the U.S. and others are no longer living.
6 For more, see Pew Research Center report “The Rise of Asian Americans,” June 2012, and Pew Hispanic Center report “The 10
Largest Hispanic Origin Groups: Characteristics, Rankings, Top Counties,” June 2012.
 
15
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Three Great Waves of Immigration to the U.S.
 
Africa/Middle East
Era and country
Modern Era (1965-present)
MexicoChina*
India
PhilippinesKorea
VietnamFormer USSR
El Salvador
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Region totals
Latin America
South/East Asia
Europe, total
Canada**
All other
3,211
Total (thousands)
44,495
12,416
2,479
2,077
1,990
1,391
1,291
1,272
1,101
1,090
912
22,111
11,811
5,373
880
1,110
7
%
100
28
6
5
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
50
27
12
2
2
 
Southern/Eastern Europe 18,244 100Wave (1890-1919)
 
Italy 3,764 21
Austria-Hungary 3,690 20
Russia & Poland 3,166 17
United Kingdom 1,170 6
Germany 1,082 6
Ireland*** 917 5
 
Region totals
 
Europe, total 16,134 88
North/West Europe 4,757 26
South/East Europe 11,377 62
Canada 835 5
Latin America 551 3
South/East Asia 315 2
Africa/Middle East 332 2
Other/Not specified 77 <0.5
 
Northern Europe Wave 14,314 100(1840-1889)
 
Germany 4,282 30
Ireland*** 3,209 22
United Kingdom 2,586 18
Norway-Sweden 883 6
 
Region totals
 
Europe, total 12,757 89
North/West Europe 11,700 82
South/East Europe 1,058 7
Canada 1,034 7
Latin America 101 1
South/East Asia 293 2
Africa/Middle East 5 <0.5
Other/Not specified 124 1
 
Notes: Data for 1965-2011 include legal and unauthorized immigrants in the total
population. Data for 1840-1919 include only legal admissions. *China includes Hong
Kong, Taiwan and Macao. **Includes other North America. ***Ireland includes
Northern Ireland. Persons from Puerto Rico not included.
 
Source: For 1965-present, Pew Hispanic Center tabulations from Integrated Public
Use Microdata Samples for 1980, 1990, and 2000 Censuses and 2005-2011
American Community Surveys (with 2010-based weights); for 1840-1919, Table 2
from Office of Immigration Statistics, Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, 2008
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
16
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Intergenerational Mobility, Now and Then
 
Some scholars of immigration have questioned whether today’s immigrants and their offspring
will be able to match the high levels of intergenerational upward mobility experienced by much
of the immigrant stock of the 19th and early 20th centuries.7
 
The skeptics cite many factors: Most modern immigrants are non-white and thus face deeply
ingrained social and cultural barriers; about a quarter of today’s immigrants (the vast majority
of whom are Hispanic) have arrived illegally and thus must navigate their lives in the shadows
of the law; globalization and technology may have eliminated many of the jobs that provided
pathways to the middle class for earlier generations of hard-working but low-skilled
immigrants; the relative ease of travel and communication have enabled today’s immigrants to
retain their ties to their countries of origin and may have reduced incentives to adapt to
American customs and mores.
 
It is beyond the scope of this report to make definitive statements about the success of today’s
second-generation immigrants compared with those of earlier eras. Most of our data trends do
not extend that far back in history. Moreover, with so many of today’s second generation just
now starting to age into adulthood (16 million are under the age of 18), and with more than a
million new immigrants continuing to arrive each year, it will take decades before one can
attempt a comprehensive generational scorecard of the modern wave of immigrants and their
children.
 
What we can say with certainty is that members of the second generation will have a major
impact on this nation’s destiny for decades. And at this stage of their journey, we can provide
some empirical assessments of their economic circumstances. For Hispanics and Asian
Americans—the groups that comprise the bulk of the modern immigration wave—we can also
provide some empirical assessments of their attitudes and beliefs, based on data gathered from
our own surveys and those of the Census Bureau.
 
7 There is a large literature in this area. For some examples, see George J. Borjas. 1999. Heaven’s Door: Immigration Policy and
the American Economy, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. David Card, 2005. “Is the New Immigration Really So Bad?,”
The Economic Journal, 115(507): F300–F323. Samuel Huntington, 2004. Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National
Identity, New York: Simon & Schuster. Darren Lubotsky, 2007. “Chutes or Ladders? A Longitudinal Analysis of Immigrant
Earnings,” Journal of Political Economy, 115(5): 820-867. James P. Smith, 2003. “Assimilation Across the Latino Generations”
American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings, 93(2): 315-319.
 
 
 
 
17
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
A Roadmap to the Report
 
The remainder of this report is organized as follows: Chapter 2 presents a detailed analysis of
 
U.S. Census Bureau data on the second generation in comparison with immigrants, with third
and higher generations and with the U.S. adult population. Generational patterns are also
examined separately for each of four racial and ethnic groups: Hispanics, Asian Americans,
non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks.
Chapters 3 through 7 supplement this demographic portrait with an analysis of recent Pew
Research Center surveys conducted with a nationally representative sample of Hispanics and a
separate representative survey of Asian Americans on a range of topics. These chapters
compare the second generation with the first generation in each group. No analysis of third-
and higher-generation Hispanics or Asian Americans is included due to the small sample sizes
of those subgroups in the survey data. Comparisons to the general public using data from other
recent Pew Research Center surveys are included wherever possible. Survey data with an
adequate number of second-generation whites and blacks for analysis is not available. Thus,
the survey comparisons are limited to the two race or ethnic groups comprising the bulk of the
modern immigration wave. These comparisons help illuminate the ways in which the second
generation tends to be similar and dissimilar to the first generation within each race or ethnic
group, but they cannot be used to characterize the second generation in the U.S. as a whole.
 
Chapter 3 looks at questions of self-identity, proficiency in English and attitudes about
maintaining their ancestral language. Chapter 4 examines how the generations see their
quality of life in relation to their parents, their expectations for their children, and their
perception of their financial well-being. Chapter 5 examines attitudes about intergroup
relations and intergroup marriage. This chapter includes a detailed analysis of data from the
 
U.S. Census Bureau on the rate of intergroup marriage for all adults in the U.S. and separately
for Hispanics, Asian Americans, whites and blacks. Chapter 6 focuses on attitudes about
political party, ideology and social issues. Chapter 7 considers a wide array of other topics,
including views about discrimination, personal goals, values and comparisons between the
U.S. and their ancestral country. The appendices provide a detailed explanation of the
methodologies used and a topline summary of the survey findings for Hispanics and Asian
Americans. They also provide detailed tables, drawn from 2012 census data, that show the
socioeconomic characteristics of first, second and third and higher generations of whites,
blacks, Hispanics and Asian Americans.
 
18
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
CHAPTER 2: DEMOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT OF
ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Overview
 
Many of the nation’s U.S.-born children of
immigrants are just coming into adulthood,
but as a group they already are having an
impact on the nation’s communities,
workforce, electorate and other realms of
American life.
 
The most striking features of this U.S. second
generation—the adult children of immigrants—
are their youth and their racial and ethnic
background. Most were born since the onset of
the nation’s most recent four-decade wave of
immigration, mainly from Latin America and
Asia.
 
The median age of second-generation adults is
38, compared with 43 for foreign-born adults
and 46 for all adults. This generation is distinct
as well for its racial and ethnic mix, in which
no group holds a majority, and for its above-
average intermarriage rate.
 
Second-generation adults in the U.S. today are
not necessarily the children of immigrants in
the U.S. today. Although today’s second
generation includes some adults who are the
children of today’s immigrant population, it
also includes some whose parents arrived more
than a century ago and are no longer living so
are not in the data. The reverse also is true:
Today’s immigrants are not necessarily the
parents of the adult second generation. The
 
Second-Generation Adults Have
a young median age…
 
1st generation
 
2nd generation
 
All U.S.
 
43
38
46
… no racial or ethnic majority
group …
 
White
 
46%
Black 4%
Hispanic 35%
Asian 12%
Other 3%
 
… and a higher growth rate than
the population overall (2006-12)
 
1st generation
 
2nd generation
 
14%
14%
All U.S.
 
7%
Notes: All groups are adults, ages 18 and older. “Secondgeneration
Americans” are U.S.-born children of immigrants.
Asians include Hispanics; other races include non-Hispanics
only.
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population
surveys, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS)
files
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
19
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
U.S. first generation includes
some immigrants who have
no children or whose children
are not yet adults.
Furthermore, because
generational progress occurs
over years or decades, a true
comparison between the first
and second generations would
show today’s second
generation compared with
their parents at a similar stage
of life. That would require
historical data not available
here.
 
For these reasons,
comparisons between
immigrant generations should
not necessarily be used to
assess generational progress.
 
That said, a snapshot
comparison indicates that in
some realms of life, the
 
Characteristics of Adults by Immigrant
 
Generation, 2012
 
% (unless otherwise noted)
 
Population (in millions)
Share of population
White share of generation
Black share of generation
Hispanic share of generation
Asian share of generation
Median age (in years)
Married
 
Fertility (women ages 15-44)
 
Had a birth in the past 12 months
Of these, % unmarried
 
Educational attainment (ages 25+)
 
Less than high school
 
Bachelor’s degree or more
Median household income ($)
Average household size (persons)
Homeownership (householders)
Persons in poverty
 
Generation
 
1st 2nd 3rd+ Total
37.4 19.7 177.7 234.7
16 8 76 100
20 46 78 66
8 4 13 11
47 35 6 15
25 12 <0.5 5
43 38 47 46
63 42 53 54
9 6 6 723 41 40 36
28 10 9 12
29 36 31 31
45,800 58,100 60,600 58,200
3.1 2.4 2.4 2.5
51 64 68 65
18 11 12 13
 
Notes: Asians include Hispanics; all other races include non-Hispanics only.
Unmarried women include those who are divorced, separated, widowed or never
married. Annual income figure is adjusted and standardized to a household size of
three; see Methodology. Population does not add to total due to rounding.
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population surveys, Integrated
Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files; fertility data from 2004-2010 CPS and all
other data from 2012 CPS
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
second-generation U.S.-born adult children of immigrants are better off than the people who
make up the first generation. They have more education, reflecting the higher educational
attainment in the U.S. compared with the home countries of many immigrants. Their higher
education levels help explain why they have higher household incomes and a lower share in
poverty than immigrants. They are slightly less likely to be married than immigrants, reflecting
their younger age structure, and their share of births to unmarried mothers is higher, perhaps
reflecting adaptation to U.S. customs.
 
In general, the second generation, who are U.S. citizens at birth regardless of their parents’
immigration status, resembles the overall population more than it does the first generation.
One prominent exception is that both first- and second-generation adults are more likely than
the adult population overall to live in multi-generational family households.
 
 
20
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Both the first- and second
 
 
15.9
8.4
1st generation 2nd generation
generation populations of
Distribution of Adult Population, by Generation
(1900-2012)
 
adults grew about 14% from
2006 to 2012, twice the 7% %
growth rate for adults overall,
 
30
 
according to data from the
Current Population Survey.
Since 2000, the immigrant
adult population has grown 20
35%, and the number of
second-generation adults has
grown 20%. The nation’s 37 10
million foreign-born adults
outnumber the nearly 20
million second-generation
 
0
adults. Second-generation 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2012
 
adults made up 8% of the
 
Source: 2000-2012 data from Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population
adult population in 2012. surveys, Integrated Microdata Sample (IPUMS) files; historical trend from Passel and
Cohn (2008) and Edmonston and Passel (1994)
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
The second generation’s share
of the U.S. population—
children as well as adults—peaked during the early decades of
the 20th century, when about 20% of U.S. residents of all ages
 
Median Age of
 
had immigrant parents. But the relative size of the second
 
Second-Generation
 
generation began to fall as the large wave of immigration that
 
Adults, by Race and
began in the late 19th century came to an end. Immigration Ethnicity
flows dropped steadily in the 1920s and virtually ceased during
 
White 57
the Great Depression and World War II. By 1990, the second Black 27
Hispanic 28
 
generation represented only 10% of the population, a 20th
 
Asian
30
 
century low, before its share began to rise again as a result of a
 
Note: Asians include Hispanics; all
 
new immigration wave that began in the 1960s.
other races include non-Hispanics
only.
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis This report focuses on the 20 million adult children of of Current Population surveys,
Integrated Public Use Microdata Series immigrants. There also are roughly 16 million second-(IPUMS) files
 
generation children, ages 17 and younger, for a total of 36
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
million second-generation residents of the U.S. Thus, as the
second-generation children reach adulthood, the second
generation is poised to continue as a sizable segment of the population.
 
 
21
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Among second-generation adults, fully 35% are ages 18-29, higher than this age group’s 22%
share of the overall adult population and 18% share among immigrant adults. In fact, among
all 18- to 29-year-olds, second-generation adults (6.9 million) slightly outnumber those in the
immigrant generation (6.8 million), the only age group for which this is so. The second-
generation share of the adult population is 8%, but they represent 14% of adults ages 18 to 29.
 
The second generation has a smaller share of middle-aged adults—ages 30 to 64—than does
the foreign-born population or overall population. Only 44% of the second generation is in this
age group, compared with 68% of immigrants and 61% of all adults. But 21% are ages 65 and
older, reflecting births that followed the early 20th-century influx of immigrants, mainly from
Europe. By comparison, only 13% of immigrants and 18% of adults overall are ages 65 and
older.
 
Whether all age groups or only adults are included, the current second generation has no race
or ethnic majority, in contrast to the majority-white makeup of the overall population and of
past waves of immigration. Among adult children of immigrants, whites account for 46%,
Hispanics 35%, Asian Americans 12% and blacks 4%. The remainder of the second generation
includes adults from smaller non-Hispanic race groups, such as Pacific Islanders, as well as
adults who are of more than one race.
 
By contrast, among immigrant (first-generation) adults, 20% are white, while 47% are
Hispanic, 25% Asian American and 8% black.
 
Hispanics and Asians represent about seven-in-ten of the nation’s adult immigrants, and their
adult children will be the most prominent legacy of the current wave of immigration. The
second generation makes up an important and growing share of the nation’s adult Hispanic
and Asian-American populations. Among Hispanics, 20% of adults are the children of
immigrants. Among Asian Americans, 19% are. The second generation makes up a smaller
share of white adults (6%) and black adults (3%).
 
The residential pattern of the second generation is similar to that of foreign-born adults and
both differ somewhat from adults overall. The West is the most likely region for the second and
first generations to live—more than a third of each reside there, compared with about a quarter
of adults overall. Notably lower shares of the adult children of immigrants (13%) and
immigrants themselves (11%) live in the Midwest, compared with all adults (21%).
 
Somewhat lower shares of adult children of immigrants (27%) and immigrants (32%) live in
the South, compared with adults overall (37%).
 
 
22
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Educational Attainment
As a group, the adult children
of immigrants are more highly
educated than are immigrant
Educational Attainment, by Generation
(% ages 25 and older)
 
adults and the overall
 
Less than HS
 
HS grad
 
Some college
 
College grad+
 
population. More than a third
 
(36%) have at least a 1st generation
 
bachelor’s degree, compared
with 29% of immigrants and
 
28 26 16 29
 
2nd generation
 
31% of all adults. Second-
generation adults are much
 
10 27 27 36
 
All U.S.
 
more likely than immigrants
to have completed high
 
12 30 26 31
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population surveys, Integrated school: Only 10% have less Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files
 
than a high school diploma, PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
compared with 28% of
immigrants and 12% of all adults.
 
In comparing immigrants and the second generation, the second generation is more likely to
hold at least a high school diploma not just overall but also in each age group analyzed—25 to
29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 64 and ages 65 and older. When it comes to having a college
education, the second generation is more likely than the first to do so in each age group except
for adults ages 65 and older, when both groups are equally likely to be college-educated.
 
Compared with the population overall, second-generation adults are at least as likely to have
graduated from college in each age group. Second-generation adults in each age group are
slightly less likely than the population overall to lack a high school diploma.
 
Among young adults, ages 18-24, the second generation and all adults have markedly lower
high school dropout rates than do foreign-born young adults. Among 18- to 24-year-old
children of immigrants, 7% have not completed high school and are not enrolled in school,
compared with 18% of foreign-born adults of similar ages.
 
 
23
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Economic Well-Being
 
On average, the economic
well-being of the second
generation tracks that of the
adult population overall and is
higher than that of
immigrants. Adult children of
immigrants have a median
household income of $58,100
a year, compared with
$58,200 for adults overall and
$45,800 for foreign-born
adults.
 
In this report, household
incomes are adjusted and
standardized to a household
size of three to account for
differences in average
household size that affect the
 
Adjusted Median Household Income, by Age and
Generation
 
($ adjusted for household of three)
 
1st generation
 
2nd generation
 
All U.S.
 
$80,000
$70,000
$60,000
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$20,000
$10,000
$0
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of combined 2010-2012 Current Population
surveys, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-64 65 and older
 
 
amount of income available to each member of the household.
 
The overall income differences between the second generation and the total adult population
are influenced by the relative youth of the second generation. For example, only 15% of second-
generation adults are ages 50-64, when incomes are at their peak, compared with 26% of the
total population and 23% of immigrants who are in that age group.
 
Among young adults, ages 18-29, differences in median adjusted household income between
the second generation and overall population are relatively modest, but those differences
widen in the second generation’s favor at subsequent ages, until ages 65 and older. But because
the second generation is so heavily young, compared with all adults, its income profile is pulled
down by the more modest incomes of its large contingent of young adults.
 
Compared with immigrants, the second generation has a higher adjusted median household
income in all age groups, but the gap widens among adults in their 30s and older, until ages 65
and older.
 
 
24
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Homeownership, Poverty, Insurance
 
Second-generation adults are more likely to own their own homes than are immigrant adults
and are about as likely as the overall population to be homeowners. This pattern holds for all
age groups. In 2012, the homeownership rate for second-generation householders was 64%,
compared with 51% for immigrant householders and 65% for all householders.
 
Second-generation adults are on average less likely to be in poverty than are immigrants and
slightly less likely than adults overall. The overall share in poverty for the adult children of
immigrants is 11%, compared with 18% for foreign-born adults and 13% for all adults.
 
Among adult children of immigrants, the share in poverty for adults ages 18 to 64 is higher
than that of older adults—13% compared with 6%. This pattern is similar among all adults, but
the share in poverty for immigrant adults is similar in both age groups (18% for ages 18 to 64
and 16% for ages 65 and older).
 
About one-in-five second-generation adults (19%) do not have health insurance. That is
comparable to the share of all adults who are uninsured and is notably lower than the one-inthree
(34%) foreign-born adults who do not have health insurance.
 
Employment and Occupation
 
Among second-generation adults, 62% are in the labor force, compared with 68% of foreign-
born adults and 65% of all adults. Of those, 9.3% of second-generation adults were
unemployed in March 2012, compared with 8.6% of immigrants and 8.3% of all adults.
 
Many differences between the generations can largely be explained by differences in age
structure. Immigrants are more likely than others to be in their 30s and 40s, the prime
working ages. The second generation still has an above-average share in the 18-29 age group,
many of whom are still in school, as well as an above-average share of those ages 65 and older,
who are more likely to be retired from the workforce.
 
Compared with foreign-born adults, the second generation is more likely to be in white-collar
jobs such as management or office services. They are less likely to be in service, construction,
transportation or maintenance occupations.
 
The most common job category for all adult generations is management, professional and
related occupations, which accounts for 40% of jobs held by members of the second generation
 
 
25
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
but 31% of those held by immigrants. An additional 28% of second-generation adults hold
sales and office support jobs, compared with 17% of immigrants. The profile for all adults is
more similar to that of the second generation than foreign-born adults.
 
Only 14% of adult children of immigrants are employed in service occupations, compared with
about a quarter of immigrants (23%) and 16% of all adults. The share of the second generation
employed in occupations related to maintenance production transportation and material
moving is 13%, compared with 19% for immigrants and 16% for adults overall. Construction,
mining and farming jobs are held by 5% of the second generation, 10% of immigrants and 6%
of adults overall.
 
Family and Living Arrangements
 
The living arrangements of second-generation adults are more similar to those of the overall
population than to those of the first generation.
 
The second generation includes nearly equal shares of adults who are married (40%) and never
married (42%), with a smaller share who are separated, widowed or divorced (18%). The
married share is lower than for foreign-born adults (63%) and for all adults (54%). The never-
married share is higher than for foreign-born adults (22%) and all adults (28%).
 
The relative youthfulness of the second generation explains much, but not all, of the difference
in the share of adults who are married. Most Americans do not marry for the first time until
their late 20s, and the second generation has a larger share of those in the 18-29 age group
than do the immigrant or overall populations.
 
However, in each decade of life, adults in the second generation have a slightly lower currently
married rate than the overall population. For those in their 20s and 30s, this is due to a larger
share among the second generation who have never married. In later decades, this difference
fades, but the second generation has a higher rate of divorce, separation or widowhood.
 
However, foreign-born adults are more likely to be married at each stage of life than the
second generation or all adults. Among those ages 18-29, fully 32% are married, compared
with 15% for the second generation and 21% for all adults. Marriage rates are higher for
immigrants in each subsequent decade of life, until ages 65 and older.
 
One explanation for the higher marriage rates among immigrants is that many come from
nations with higher marriage rates than the U.S. Data gathered by the United Nations, and
 
 
26
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
analyzed for the 10 nations that are the top current sources of immigrants, indicate that most
or all have higher shares of currently married adults, except among the oldest adults. Another
contributing factor, in some cases, is that U.S. policies give high priority to spouses in
allocating visas.8
 
Among those who are married, second-generation adults (17%) are more likely to have a
spouse of a different race or ethnicity than are all adults (8%) or foreign-born adults (8%).
 
The higher overall second-generation shares are influenced by relative youth of the second
generation, because intermarriage is more common among recent marriages than older ones.9
However, in each decade of life until age 65, intermarriage is more common for second-
generation adults than for foreign-born adults or all adults. For example, among those in their
40s, 20% of second-generation adults have a spouse of a different race or ethnicity, compared
with 8% of foreign-born adults and 9% of all adults.
 
Another factor explaining the larger share of second-generation adults who are intermarried is
the large proportion of Asian Americans and Hispanics in this population. Both of these groups
are more likely than the population overall to be married to someone of a different race or
ethnicity.
 
Chapter 5 has additional detail on intermarriage by race, ethnic group and other demographic
characteristics, as well as a discussion of attitudes about intermarriage from a Pew Research
Center survey.
 
Looking at marriage by nativity—whether a U.S.-born adult has a foreign-born spouse or vice
versa—both second-generation adults (17%) and first-generation adults (20%) have higher
rates than do all adults (7%).
 
Second-generation adults are markedly more likely than the population overall to live in multigenerational
households, with at least two adult generations or a grandparent and grandchild
sharing living space. Among the adult children of immigrants, 22% live in multi-generational
households, compared with 18% of the overall adult population and 24% of foreign-born
adults.
 
8 Pew Research Center analysis of data from United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division
(2009). World Marriage Data 2008 (POP/DB/Marr/Rev2008).http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/WMD2008/Main.html
9 Pew Social & Demographic Trends project, “The Rise of Intermarriage,” February 2012.
 
 
27
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
The age group most likely to live in multi-generational family households is adults ages 25 to
 
34. In this age group, fully 33% of the second generation lives in such households, a markedly
higher share than for comparably aged adults overall or immigrant adults (both 20%).
As the Pew Research Center recently reported, immigrants have accounted for a growing share
of all births in recent decades,10 although that share has dipped since the onset of the Great
Recession in 2007. Among women ages 15-44 in all race and ethnic groups, immigrants are
more likely than second-generation women or all women in that age group to have had a birth
in the past year.
 
Among all second-generation women ages 15-44, for example, 6% gave birth in the previous
year, according to pooled Current Population Survey data for 2004-2010. That compares with
9% of similarly aged foreign-born women and 7% of all similarly aged women.
 
Among women ages 15-44 who gave birth in the previous year, second-generation women are
more likely than foreign-born women to be unmarried. Using pooled Current Population
Survey data for 2004-2010, 41% of second-generation mothers who gave birth in the previous
year were not married, compared with 23% of foreign-born women and 36% of all women.11
 
Voting and Turnout
 
The adult children of immigrants accounted for 9% of eligible voters in 2010, the latest year for
which numbers are available. (An eligible voter is defined as an adult U.S. citizen.) That share
is slightly higher than for immigrants, who account for 8% of eligible voters. The turnout rate
for second-generation adults—that is, votes cast as a share of eligible voters—was 43%, higher
than the 37% turnout for foreign-born voters and lower than overall turnout of 46%.
 
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of second-generation eligible voters? In 2010, 49% were
white, 33% Hispanic, 11% Asian American and 5% black. By comparison, whites represent 73%
of all eligible voters, blacks represent 12%, Hispanics 10% and Asian Americans 4%.
 
10 Pew Social & Demographic Trends project, “Immigrant Women Lead Recent Drop in U.S. Births and Birth Rates,” November
2012.
11 The 36% share of births to unmarried mothers shown here differs from the 41% figure published by the National Center for
Health Statistics (NCHS) for 2010. There are two main reason for this: 1) while the NCHS records maternal marital status at the
time of the birth, the CPS records marital status at the time of the survey, which may be up to a year after the birth, by which
time some new mothers will have married, and 2) the number here is based upon a combined sample of Current Population
Survey data that extends back to 2004, when the prevalence of nonmarital fertility was lower.
 
 
28
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
The distribution of eligible voters by immigrant generation varies markedly by race and ethnic
group. Among whites, only 6% of eligible voters are adult children of immigrants, and for
blacks the share is 3%. However, 30% of eligible Hispanic voters are second-generation adults,
as are 26% of eligible Asian-American voters.
 
Future Growth
 
The impact of the adult second generation is Race and Ethnic Groups by
projected to grow rapidly in the coming Immigrant Adult Generation
decades. According to Pew Research Center %
projections, the adult second generation will
 
1st generation
 
2nd generation
 
3rd and higher
 
grow 126% from 2012 to 2050, more sharply
than the first generation (103%) or the adult
 
U.S. Adults
population overall (42%). By 2050, the second
generation will account for 16% of adult
 
16 8 76
 
Hispanic
 
Americans, compared with about 8% in 2012.
 
51 20 29
 
Asian
 
The growth rate of the second generation will
be even more striking among adults ages 18 to
 
74 19 7
 
64. From 2012 to 2050, the second generation White
5 6 89
 
working-age population is projected to grow
198%, compared with 83% for immigrants and Black
32% for adults overall. The second generation’s
 
11 3 86
 
share of the working-age population, 8% in
Notes: Asians include Hispanics; all other races include non-
Hispanics only. Data values for other race not shown.
 
2012, is projected to increase to 18% in 2050.
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population
surveys, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS)
files
 
Among adults, immigrants will continue to
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
outnumber the second generation in 2050, 75
million to 52 million. That also will be true for working-age adults, where the second
generation will number 46 million and the immigrant generation 59 million.
 
Racial and Ethnic Portraits by Generation
 
This section examines each four major race and ethnic groups—Hispanics, Asians, whites and
blacks—and focuses in particular on the second generation, the adult children of immigrants.
The different timing of their waves of immigration affects the size of their generations. Among
blacks and whites, for example, nearly nine-in-ten adults were born in the U.S. to U.S.-born
 
 
29
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
parents. The great wave of white immigration happened a century ago; for blacks, a wave of
voluntary immigration began only in recent decades.
 
The Hispanic and Asian populations are more dominated by immigrants, although the U.S.born
population is catching up among Hispanics. In both groups, a large influx of immigration
began in the 1960s. Hispanics and Asians represent the future of the second generation.
Although just under half of second-generation adults are Hispanic or Asian, these two groups
account for more than seven-in-ten foreign-born adults.
 
Third Generation
 
The third-and-higher generation is the dominant group in the white population, accounting for
nearly nine-in-ten adults. This also is true of the black population, where 86% of adults are the
U.S.-born children of U.S.-born parents.
 
The third-and-higher generation among Asian-American adults is small—only 7% of the total—
reflecting the long period of U.S. restrictions on immigrants from the Far East, Southeast Asia
and the Indian subcontinent.
 
Among Hispanics, third-and-higher generation adults are not generally the grandchildren of
recent immigrants—as proof, note that their median age (39) is only slightly lower than that of
the first generation (41). They are more likely to be descendants of families that came from
Latin America many generations ago. In some cases, they would have been living in U.S.
territories when those areas were incorporated into the nation as new states.
 
 
30
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Hispanic Second Generation
 
Among adult Hispanics,
20% are the children of
immigrants and 51% are
foreign born. The
second generation is
notably young, with a
median age of 28,
compared with 41 for
Hispanic immigrants
and 38 for Hispanic
adults overall. Among
second-generation
Hispanics, 53% are ages
18-29 and only 6% are
ages 65 and older.
 
 
Among all Hispanics,
including children as
well as adults, 31% are
the children of
immigrants and 36%
are foreign born.
Among this total second
generation, 57% are younger than 18.
 
 
1st 2nd 3rd+ Total
Population (in millions) 17.5 7.0 10.2 34.7
Share of population 51 20 29 100
Median age (in years) 41 28 39 38
Married 60 34 41 49
Fertility (women ages 15-44)
Had a birth in the past 12 months 9 7 7 8
Of these, share unmarried 29 52 49 39
Educational attainment (ages 25+)
Less than high school 47 17 21 35
Bachelor’s degree or more 11 21 17 15
Median household income ($) 34,600 48,400 43,600 39,200
Average household size (persons) 3.5 3.1 2.8 3.2
Homeownership (householders) 43 50 49 46
Persons in poverty 23 16 20 21
 
The Hispanic second generation is mainly the product of mass immigration from Latin
America that began in the 1960s. By the 1980s, the number of Hispanic immigrant adults had
surpassed the number of Hispanics from the third-and-higher generations, including some
whose families had lived in the U.S. for more than a century.
 
About half of the 44 million immigrants who have come to the U.S. since 1965 are from Latin
America. That flow has been dominated by the 12 million immigrants from Mexico, who
account for more than half of Hispanic immigrants and about 30% of all U.S. foreign-born
residents.12 But seven other Latin American nations also are among the top 20 source
 
12 Pew Hispanic Center, “Net Migration from Mexico Falls to Zero and Perhaps Less.” April 2012.
 
Characteristics of Hispanic Adults by Immigrant
Generation, 2012
 
% (unless otherwise noted)
 
Generation
 
Notes: Unmarried women include those who are divorced, separated, widowed or
never married. Annual income figure is adjusted and standardized to a household
size of three; see Methodology.
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population surveys, Integrated
Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files; fertility data from 2004-2010 CPS and all
other data from 2012 CPS
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
31
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
countries of the nation’s foreign-born population: El Salvador, Cuba, the Dominican Republic,
Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras and Ecuador.
 
The Hispanic immigrant
population is a mix of
cultures, histories and
characteristics. It includes
refugees who fled their
countries because of political
repression, natural disasters
or other reasons, as well as
highly trained professionals.
But it is dominated by the
large influx of immigrants
from Mexico, who are
disproportionately low-
educated and unauthorized.
Hispanic unauthorized
immigrants account for three-
quarters of the U.S.
unauthorized population and
about 45% of Hispanic
immigrants, according to a
 
Distribution of Adult Hispanic Population,
By Generation
 
%
 
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
 
 
1st generation
 
 
2nd generation
 
 
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2012
 
Source: 2000-2012 data from Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population
surveys, Integrated Microdata Sample (IPUMS) files; historical trend from Passel and
Cohn (2008) and Edmonston and Passel (1994)
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Pew Research Center analysis
of government data.13
 
Immigrants make up about half of the Hispanic adult population. Since the 1970s, immigration
had been the dominant force in Hispanic population growth, but over the past decade, births—
especially to immigrants—have become the major driver.14
 
Fueling this trend is the fact that Hispanic immigrants not only are more likely than the U.S.
population overall to be in their prime child-bearing years, but also have higher fertility.15 In
addition, Hispanic immigration levels, especially from Mexico, have fallen since 2006.
 
13 Pew Social & Demographic Trends project, “The Rise of Asian Americans,” June 2012.
14 Pew Hispanic Center, “The Mexican-American Boom: Births Overtake Immigration,” July 2011.
15 Pew Social & Demographic Trends project, “Immigrant Women Lead Recent Drop in U.S. Births and Birth Rates,” November
2012.
 
 
 
32
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
As a result, the number of U.S.-born adult Hispanics has grown to nearly equal the number of
adult Hispanic immigrants.
 
Educational Attainment
 
Second-generation Hispanics are better educated in general than immigrant Hispanics. About
one-in-five (21%) has a college degree or more, compared with 11% of foreign-born Hispanics.
 
Among second-generation
adults, 17% do not have a high
school diploma, compared
with 47% of foreign-born
Hispanics.
 
The second generation of
Hispanics is more educated
than Hispanic adults overall.
The share of second-
generation Hispanics with at
least a college degree exceeds
that of Hispanics overall (and
matches or betters the third-
and-higher generation).16
 
Educational Attainment of Hispanics,
By Generation
 
(% ages 25 and older)
 
Less than HS
 
HS grad
 
Some college
 
College grad+
 
47 28 13 11
 
1st generation
 
17 30 31 21
 
2nd generation
 
35 30 20 15
 
All Hispanics
 
Note: Figures may not add to 100% due to rounding.
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population surveys, Integrated
Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Economic Well-Being
 
Household incomes of second-generation Hispanic adults are higher than those of immigrant
Hispanics and all Hispanic adults. Median household income, adjusted to a household size of
three, was $48,400 in 2012 for second-generation adults, compared with $34,600 for
immigrant Hispanics and $39,200 for all Hispanic adults.
 
Half of Hispanic second-generation householders own their own homes. This rate is higher
than the 43% homeownership rate for immigrant Hispanic householders and the 46% rate for
all Hispanic householders.
 
16 For more detail about Hispanic educational attainment trends, see Pew Hispanic Center, “Hispanic Student Enrollments Reach
New Highs in 2011,” August 2012.
 
 
33
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Second-generation Hispanic adults are less likely than immigrant Hispanic adults or Hispanic
adults overall to be poor. In 2012, 16% of second-generation adults were poor, compared with
23% of immigrants and 21% of Hispanic adults overall. Shares in poverty also are lower for
Hispanic second-generation adults within two age subgroups—adults ages 18 to 64 and those
ages 65 and older.
 
About a third (32%) of second-generation Hispanic adults do not have health insurance. That
uninsured rate is lower than it is for foreign-born Hispanic adults, about half (49%) of whom
do not have insurance. It also is lower than the 38% uninsured rate for Hispanic adults overall.
 
Second-generation Hispanic adults are as likely to be in the labor force as Hispanic adults
overall (69% each) and slightly less likely than immigrant Hispanics (71%).
 
Family and Living Arrangements
 
Among Hispanic adults, the younger second generation is notably less likely to be married
(34%) than immigrant Hispanics (60%) or Hispanics overall (49%). Most (54%) have never
married, compared with 25% of immigrants and 35% of Hispanics overall. Second-generation
adults are slightly more likely than foreign-born adults to be living with an unmarried partner
(9% compared with 7%).
 
A third of Hispanic second-generation adults (33%) who are married have a spouse who is
foreign born. By contrast, only 17% of married immigrant Hispanic adults have a U.S.-born
spouse.
 
Fully 46% of second-generation Hispanic householders have dependent children living with
them, compared with 54% for immigrants and 49% for Hispanic householders overall.
 
Among Hispanics, 30% of second-generation adults live in multi-generational family
households, somewhat higher than the 26% of the Hispanic adult immigrant population or
overall population who do so. Looking at 25- to 34-year-olds, 37% of Hispanic children of
immigrants live in multi-generational households, compared with 19% of comparably aged
Hispanic immigrants and 25% of all comparably aged Hispanics.
 
Among Hispanic women ages 15-44, 7% of the second generation gave birth in the previous
year, compared with 9% of foreign-born women and 8% of Hispanic women overall. Half
(52%) of second-generation Hispanic women who gave birth in recent years were unmarried,
compared with 29% for immigrant Hispanic women and 39% for Hispanic women overall.
 
 
34
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Asian-American Second Generation
 
Among adult Asian
Americans, 19% have
immigrant parents and
74% are immigrants
themselves. The Asian-
American adult second
generation is notably
young, with a median
age of 30. Among this
group, 48% of adults are
ages 18-29, compared
with 17% of immigrant
Asian Americans and
23% of Asian Americans
overall. Only 8% are
ages 65 and older.
 
% (unless otherwise noted)
Generation Total
1st 2nd 3rd+
Population (in millions) 9.2 2.4 0.9 12.4
Share of population 74 19 7 100
Median age (in years) 44 30 43 42
Married 72 37 56 64
Fertility (women ages 15-44)
Had a birth in the past 12 months 8 4 5 7
Of these, share unmarried 10 *** *** 16
Educational attainment (ages 25+)
Less than high school 12 7 5 11
Bachelor’s degree or more 50 55 53 51
Median household income ($) 65,200 67,500 91,600 67,400
Average household size (persons) 3.1 2.6 2.7 2.9
Homeownership (householders) 58 51 65 57
Persons in poverty 12 12 8 12
 
Among all Asian
Americans, both
children and adults, the
second generation
accounts for 30% of
population, and
immigrants make up
62%. About half (51%) are younger than 18.
 
The modern immigration wave from Asia, like that from Latin America, dates back to the
1960s. Until then, immigration restrictions had held down the size and growth of the Asian-
American population. Asian immigrants represent about a quarter of the nation’s total
immigrant population. Although they are far outnumbered by Hispanics in the U.S. foreign-
born population, Asians have outnumbered Hispanics since at least 2009 among new
immigrant arrivals because of a slowdown in immigration from Latin America.17
 
17 Pew Social & Demographic Trends project, “The Rise of Asian Americans,” June 2012.
 
Characteristics of Asian-American Adults by
Immigrant Generation, 2012
 
Notes: Includes only single-race Asians, including Hispanics. The symbol ***
indicates insufficient number of observations to provide a reliable estimate.
Unmarried women include those who are divorced, separated, widowed or never
married. Annual income figure is adjusted and standardized to a household size of
three; see Methodology.
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population surveys, Integrated
Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files; fertility data from 2004-2010 CPS and all
other data from 2012 CPS
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
35
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Although Asian immigrants come from dozens of nations in the Far East, Southeast Asia and
the Indian subcontinent, 82% come from six countries: China, the Philippines, India, Vietnam,
South Korea and Japan, according to the 2011 American Community Survey.
 
Immigrants account for about three-quarters of the Asian-American adult population, and
therefore dominate it to a greater extent than is true for Hispanics, where immigrants are half
the adult population. Among major Asian-American groups, only the Japanese are majority
U.S.-born. Among Asian-American adults, the second generation outnumbers the third-andhigher
generation, in contrast to the pattern of third-generation dominance among Hispanics
and other racial groups.
 
As is true of other groups, Asian-American immigrants arrive in the U.S. through varied
pathways. Most, as is true of immigrants overall, arrive on family-sponsored visas. But Asian
immigrants are more likely than those from other regions to be admitted on employment visas.
This is especially true of Korean and Indian immigrants, about half of whom received green
cards in 2011 based on employer sponsorship. Among major subgroups, the Vietnamese are
the only population to have come in large numbers as political refugees, but smaller influxes
from other Asian nations also arrived with refugee status.18
 
About 10-11% of the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population is made up of Asian-American
immigrants, and about 13-15% of the Asian-American immigrant population during the 20002010
decade was unauthorized, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of government
data.19
 
18 Pew Social & Demographic Trends project, “The Rise of Asian Americans,” June 2012.
19 Ibid. Data source is the Census Bureau’s March Current Population Survey. For details of methodology, see Pew Hispanic
Center, “Net Migration from Mexico Falls to Zero—and Perhaps Less,” April 2012.
 
 
 
Educational Attainment
 
Among those ages 25 and
older, second-generation
Asian-American adults are, on
average, slightly better
educated than immigrants
and the overall population.
More than half (55%) have at
least a college education,
compared with 50% of
immigrants and 51% of the
overall Asian-American
population. Only 7% have not
completed high school,
compared with 12% of
immigrants and 11% of the
total Asian-American
population.
 
36
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Educational Attainment of Asian Americans,
By Generation
 
(% ages 25 and older)
 
Less than HS
 
HS grad
 
Some college
 
College grad+
 
12 22 16 50
 
1st generation
 
7 16 22 55
 
2nd generation
 
11 21 17 51
 
All Asian Americans
 
Note: Includes only single-race Asians, including Hispanics.
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population surveys, Integrated
Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Among those ages 18 to 24,
the difference is even smaller on high school completion—3% of the second generation and
overall adults have not completed high school, compared with 4% of immigrants.
 
 
Economic Well-Being
 
Despite their younger median age, second-generation Asian-American adults have a median
household income, adjusted to a household size of three ($67,500), that is comparable to that
of all Asian-American adults and slightly higher than incomes of Asian-American immigrants
($65,200).
 
The homeownership rate for second-generation Asian-American householders is 51%, lower
than the 58% rate for immigrants and 57% rate for overall adults. However, this appears to be
a function of their younger age profile. For each age group, the second-generation
homeownership rate is at least as high as that of the immigrant or overall Asian-American
adult populations.
 
 
37
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000
1st generation 2nd generation
2012
Among second-generation Asian-American adults, the 12% share in poverty is similar to that
for all adults and immigrants. However, among Asian Americans ages 65 and older, the share
is somewhat lower for the
second generation (7%),
compared with immigrants
(13%) and adults overall
(12%).
About one-in-five secondgeneration
adults do not have
health insurance, which is
similar to the rate for
immigrant adults and all
adults among Asian
Americans.
Among Asian Americans,
nearly two-thirds of secondgeneration
adults (63%) are in
the labor force, comparable to
all adults and immigrant
adults (65%). Their
unemployment rate is
somewhat higher, however,
perhaps reflecting their
younger age profile, since younger adults (ages 18-29) are more likely to be unemployed than
older ones.
Among Asian-American adults, the second generation is less likely than immigrants to be
employed in service occupations and more likely to work in sales and office support. The
second generation of Asian-American adults also is slightly less likely than immigrants to be
employed in maintenance, production, transportation and material moving jobs. Secondgeneration
adults are somewhat more likely to work in the information and finance industries,
and less likely to work in the manufacturing industry, compared with immigrant Asian
Americans.
Distribution of Adult Asian Population,
By Generation
%
Note: Includes only single-race Asians, including Hispanics.
Source: 2000-2012 data from Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population
surveys, Integrated Microdata Sample (IPUMS) files; historical trend from Passel and
Cohn (2008) and Edmonston and Passel (1994)
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
38
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Family and Living Arrangements
 
Among the second generation, a greater share of adults have never been married (56%) than
are currently married (37%), the opposite of the pattern for Asian-American adults overall and
immigrant Asian Americans. This reflects the younger age profile of the second generation
(26%).
 
Among Asian Americans, 29% of second-generation adults live in multi-generational family
households, slightly higher than the 27% of foreign-born Asian Americans and 27% of all Asian
Americans who do. Among 25- to 34-year-old Asian Americans, 39% of the second generation
live in multi-generational family households, compared with 23% of immigrants and 28% of
the total population in this age group.
 
Among Asian-American women ages 15-44, 4% of the second generation had a birth in the
previous year, compared with 8% of immigrants and 7% of the total population. There is not
enough data to make comparisons by generation for births to unmarried mothers.20
 
20 While the share of nonmarital births for second-generation Asian Americans cannot be determined, a recent Pew Research
Center report using another data source found that 12% of births to foreign-born Asian-American mothers and 31% of births to
U.S.-born Asian-American mothers—the vast majority of whom were second generation—were nonmarital. See Pew Research
Social & Demographic Trends project, “Immigrant Women Lead Recent Drop in U.S. Births and Birth Rates,” November 2012.
 
 
39
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
White Second Generation
 
Among white adults, 6% are
the children of immigrants
and 5% are immigrants
themselves. White second-
generation adults are notably
older than other second-
generation adults, with a
median age of 57, which is
eight years older than white
adults overall or white
foreign-born adults. In the
other major race and ethnic
groups, the second generation
is notably younger than the
first generation.
 
White second-generation
adults are concentrated in the
older age groups: Only 15%
are ages 18 to 29, while 61%
are ages 50 and older.
 
Characteristics of White Adults by Immigrant
 
Generation, 2012
% (unless otherwise noted)
Generation Total
1st 2nd 3rd+
Population (in millions) 7.6 9.0 139.4 156.0
Share of population 5 6 89 100
Median age (in years) 49 57 49 49
Married 65 52 57 58
Fertility (women ages 15-44)
Had a birth in the past 12 months 8 6 6 6
Of these, share unmarried 13 19 30 29
Educational attainment (ages 25+)
Less than high school 11 7 7 8
Bachelor’s degree or more 44 39 34 34
Median household income ($) 60,600 63,200 66,100 65,800
Average household size (persons) 2.5 2.1 2.4 2.3
Homeownership (householders) 64 76 74 73
Persons in poverty 12 7 9 9
 
Notes: Unmarried women include those who are divorced, separated, widowed or
never married. Annual income figure is adjusted and standardized to a household
size of three; see Methodology.
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population surveys, Integrated
Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files; fertility data from 2004-2010 CPS and all
other data from 2012 CPS
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Among the total white population, 6% are the children of immigrants and 4% are foreign born.
Only 23% of the white second generation is younger than 18, and 30% are ages 65 and older.
 
The adult second generation of whites mainly is a legacy of the great wave of European
immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. From 1890 to 1919, 18 million
immigrants arrived, including 11.4 million from southern and eastern European nations.
 
The largest source of current white immigrants are the former republics of the Soviet Union,
which account for about 1 million current U.S. immigrants (see table in Overview). Also among
the top 20 source countries for the U.S. foreign-born population are Canada (676,000), the
United Kingdom (642,000) and Germany (537,000), most of whose immigrants are white.
 
 
40
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Educational Attainment
 
The white second-generation population is well educated, compared with the population
overall: 39% have at least a college degree, and only 7% have less than a high school education.
Among whites, second-generation adults are slightly more likely than all adults and slightly
less likely than foreign-born adults to be college-educated.
 
Economic Well-Being
 
Household incomes of second-generation white adults are slightly higher than those of foreign-
born white adults and slightly lower than those of all white adults. Median household income,
adjusted to a household size of three, is $63,200 for second-generation adults, compared with
$60,600 for immigrants and $65,800 for all white adults.
 
The homeownership rate among white second-generation householders is 76%. That is similar
to the rate among all white householders and higher than the 64% homeownership rate for
foreign-born white householders. The high share of homeownership among white second-
generation adults reflects in part their older age structure. The homeownership rate rises with
age, and well over half of second-generation white adults are ages 50 and older.
 
The share in poverty for second-generation white adults is quite low, only 7%. That share is
similar to that in the overall white adult population and five percentage points lower than
among white immigrants.
 
Only 9% of white second-generation adults have no health insurance, which is comparable to
the rate among all white adults and lower than the 18% uninsured rate among white immigrant
adults.
 
Among white second-generation adults 54% are in the labor force, a lower participation rate
than for all white adults (65%) or for foreign-born white adults (61%), due largely to their older
age profile. For those in the labor force, their unemployment rate in March 2012 (6.6%) was
lower than that of all adults or immigrants, among whites.
 
Among whites, there are not notable differences in the occupation or industry patterns of
second-generation adults, compared with all adults or immigrant adults.
 
 
41
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Family and Living Arrangements
 
The living arrangements of older second-generation whites reflect their older age profile.
About half (52%) are currently married, while 26% are divorced, separated or widowed. Both
these shares are lower than for all white adults or white immigrant adults. Second-generation
white adults also are notably less likely to have dependent children living at home than either
all white adults or foreign-born adults. Only 19% do.
 
Among whites, 14% of second-generation adults live in a multi-generational family household,
the same share as in the population overall and roughly similar to the share among immigrants
(16%). Among adults ages 25 to 34, the second generation is notably more likely to live in a
multi-generation household: 23%, compared with 14% of immigrants 16% among the overall
population.
 
Among white second-generation women ages 15-44, 6% gave birth during the previous year,
similar to the share of all white women in that age group but lower than the 8% share of
immigrants. About one-in-five (19%) white second-generation women who gave birth were
unmarried, compared with 29% of all white women who gave birth and 13% of white
immigrant women who gave birth.
 
 
42
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Black Second Generation
 
The black second generation
represents a smaller slice of
the overall black adult
population than of other
major racial and ethnic
groups. Only 3% of adults
have immigrant parents; 11%
of adults are themselves
immigrants.
 
The median age of the black
adult second generation is
quite young—only 27. Among
second-generation adults,
most (57%) are ages 18-29.
Only 5% are ages 65 and
older, compared with 11% and
13% of the first generation
and all black adults.
 
The relative youth of this
group, with a younger median
age than Asian Americans,
 
Characteristics of Black Adults by Immigrant
 
Generation, 2012
% (unless otherwise noted)
Generation Total
1st 2nd 3rd+
Population (in millions) 2.8 0.9 23.2 26.9
Share of population 11 3 86 100
Median age (in years) 43 27 44 43
Married 48 20 32 34
Fertility (women ages 15-44)
Had a birth in the past 12 months 9 6 7 7
Of these, share unmarried *** *** 73 67
Educational attainment (ages 25+)
Less than high school 14 5 15 14
Bachelor’s degree or more 31 40 20 21
Median household income ($) 46,500 43,500 37,600 39,000
Average household size (persons) 2.8 2.4 2.4 2.4
Homeownership (householders) 42 32 45 44
Persons in poverty 21 14 24 23
 
Notes: The symbol *** indicates insufficient number of observations to provide a
reliable estimate. Unmarried women include those who are divorced, separated,
widowed or never married. Annual income figure is adjusted and standardized to a
household size of three; see Methodology.
 
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population surveys, Integrated
Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files; fertility data from 2004-2010 CPS and all
other data from 2012 CPS
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Hispanics or whites, helps
explain its economic well-being and living arrangements.
 
 
In the overall black population, including both adults and children, the second generation also
represents a small share of the total, only 5%.
 
 
Although the U.S. has a large black population as a legacy of slavery, voluntary black
immigration began relatively recently.21 Most black immigrants during 2008-2009 were from
the Caribbean (1.7 million) or Africa (1.1 million).
 
 
21 Much of the history and geographic detail in this section comes from two April 2012 reports published by the Migration Policy
Institute in Washington D.C.: Thomas, Kevin J.A. “A Demographic Profile of Black Caribbean Immigrants in the United States,”
and Capps, Randy et al. “Diverse Streams: African Migration to the United States.”
 
 
43
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Voluntary immigration from the Caribbean ticked up after the Spanish-American War ended
in 1898 and widened after passage of 1965 federal legislation opened immigration pathways
from a greater variety of countries. Most black Caribbean immigrants come from Jamaica,
Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Dominican Republic.22
 
Most are admitted on family visas, but at least 7% are refugees for various reasons, including
Cubans, Dominicans and Haitians. About 16% of Caribbean immigrants were unauthorized in
2006-2008. Most Caribbean immigrants come from a country where English is spoken, which
gives them an advantage in the job market upon arrival.
 
Immigration from Africa was sparse until late in the 20th century. No single country
dominates the flow; the largest source country, Nigeria, accounted for 19% of black African
immigrants in 2009.
 
Black Africans are more likely than other groups to be admitted as refugees or under a
diversity visa program intended to expand immigration from underrepresented groups.
African immigrants are more likely than other groups (or the U.S. born) to have graduated
from college. About 21% of African immigrants are unauthorized.
 
Immigrants from Africa were among the fastest-growing groups within the U.S. foreign-born
population from 2000 to 2009. If current trends continue, some analysts predict that Africa
will replace the Caribbean by 2020 as the major source of black immigration to the U.S.
 
Educational Attainment
 
The educational attainment of black second-generation adults is high, especially compared
with black adults overall, and is somewhat higher than for black immigrants. Four-in-ten
(40%) have at least a college degree and only 5% have not completed high school. Among black
immigrants, 31% have completed college and 14% have less than a high school diploma.
Among all black adults, 21% have completed college and 14% have less than a high school
diploma.
 
Economic Well-Being
 
Despite their relative youth, second-generation black adults have higher median incomes than
all black adults, though lower incomes than adult immigrants. Their median household
 
22 Many Dominicans self-identify as Hispanic. In this report, those who do so are counted only once, as Hispanics.
 
 
44
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
income, adjusted to a household size of three, $43,500, compares with $39,000 for all black
adults and $46,500 for black immigrant adults.
 
Only about a third of second-generation black adult householders (32%) are homeowners,
lower than the rate for black immigrants (42%) or all black householders (44%). This
difference is due in part to the youth of the second generation; more than half are ages 18 to
29, and homeownership peaks at older ages. Compared with immigrant (11%) and all black
adults (15%) ages 18 to 29, second-generation black adults (17%) have a somewhat higher
homeownership rate.
 
The share in poverty for black second-generation adults is lower than that of first-generation
adults or of all adults.
 
The second generation is as likely as all black adults not to have health insurance (23% do not),
though somewhat more likely than immigrant black adults (28% of whom do not have health
insurance.)
 
Second-generation black adults are somewhat less likely to be in the labor force than
immigrant adults—66% to 72%. Their unemployment rate—15.7% in March 2012—was higher
than that of immigrants (11.6%).
 
In terms of occupation, patterns for the second generation resemble more closely that of
immigrants than of black adults overall. About four-in-ten (41%) work in management,
professional or related jobs, 24% work in sales and office support and 21% hold service
employment.
 
Family and Living Arrangements
 
Only 20% of second-generation black adults are married and 69% have never married, as
might be expected of such a young population. In the first generation 48% are married and
33% have never married. Among all black adults, 34% are married and 43% have never
married.
 
Among black second-generation adults, 34% live in multi-generational households, higher
than the shares for immigrants (26%) and the overall population (26%). Among 25- to 34year-
olds, an estimated 42% of black children of immigrants live in multi-generation family
households, compared with 26% of immigrants and 28% of the total population in this age
group.
 
 
45
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Among black women ages 15-44, 6% of second-generation women gave birth during the
previous year, compared with 9% of immigrant women and 7% of all women. Insufficient data
are available to calculate the share of births to unmarried mothers for second-generation black
women.23
 
23 While the share of nonmarital births for second-generation blacks cannot be determined, a recent Pew Research Center report
using another data source found that the share of non-marital births among foreign-born blacks was 38% and U.S.-born blacks
was 78%; most U.S.-born blacks are U.S. born of U.S.-born parents. See Pew Research Social & Demographic Trends project,
“Immigrant Women Lead Recent Drop in U.S. Births and Birth Rates,” November 2012.
 
 
46
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
CHAPTER 3: IDENTITY
 
 
The U.S.-born children of Hispanic and Asian-American immigrants are strikingly similar in
how they identify with their native America. About six-in-ten of both groups say they consider
themselves to be a “typical American.” That is roughly double the share of their immigrant
forebears who say the same.24
 
But for these adult children of immigrants,
 
Share Who Think of Themselves as
 
seeing oneself as a typical American has not
 
A ‘Typical American’
 
meant losing their overriding sense of identity
with their family roots. A majority of the %
 
1st generation
 
2nd generation
 
second generations of both groups say they
most often identify themselves either by their
 
33
Hispanic
 
ancestral country of origin (e.g., Mexican;
 
61
 
Chinese American) or by a pan-ethnic or pan
 
 
30
 
racial term (e.g., Hispanic, Asian American). Asian American
61
 
A minority of second-generation Hispanics Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Very different
 
from a typical American” and “Don’t know/Refused” not
(37%) and Asian Americans (27%) say they shown.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q54, 2012 Asian-
 
most often describe themselves simply as “an
 
American Survey Q24
 
American.” Notably, however, these shares are PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
substantially higher than the shares among the
immigrant generations of these groups who say
the same (8% for Hispanics, 9% for Asian Americans).
 
These findings come from an analysis of recent Pew Research Center surveys conducted with a
nationally representative sample of Hispanics and a separate representative survey of Asian
Americans.
 
24 Chapters 3 through 7 supplement the demographic portrait of the generations with recent Pew Research Center surveys
conducted with separate nationally representative surveys of Hispanics and Asian Americans on a range of topics. These chapters
compare the second generation in each group with the first generation. No analysis of third-generation and higher Hispanics or
Asian Americans is included due to the small sample sizes of those subgroups in the survey data. These comparisons help
illuminate the ways in which the second generation tends to be similar or dissimilar to the first generation within each race or
ethnic group, but they cannot be used to characterize the second generation in the U.S. as a whole. Generational comparisons
are made for Hispanics and Asian Americans as a whole and thus reflect the average responses in each race or ethnic group
regardless of country of origin or other differences. For more on differences in attitudes and experiences among Asian Americans,
see the Pew Research Center report “The Rise of Asian Americans.” For other analyses on differences in attitudes and experiences
among Hispanics, see, for example, the Pew Hispanic Center report “When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity”
and “The 10 Largest Hispanic Origin Groups: Characteristics, Rankings, Top Counties.” Note that many of the questions presented
in these chapters used slightly different question wording for Hispanics and Asian Americans. See the topline in Appendix 3 for
details on question wording; the methodology in Appendix 2 includes more information on each survey cited.
 
 
47
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Those surveys, along with our analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, also find that Latinos and
Asian Americans differ markedly both in their language skills and in their views on the
importance of maintaining the language of their ancestral home. While fully three-fourths
(78%) of Asian immigrants in the U.S. speak English either very well or pretty well, about half
of Hispanic immigrants (48%) are English proficient. This may reflect the fact that a large
share of Asian American immigrants are highly educated and often come to the United States
to obtain even more education, while a large share of Hispanics who come to the U.S. have less
education and come primarily to work.
 
Among the second generation, half of Latinos have the ability to speak Spanish, while less than
half of Asian Americans are proficient in the language of their ancestral home. And as with
Hispanics and Asian Americans overall, second-generation Hispanics are far more wedded to
future generations retaining their ancestral language than are second-generation Asian
Americans.
 
Self-Identification
Which Term Do You Use Most
Often to Describe Yourself?
 
When asked how they most often describe %
themselves, about six-in-ten (61%) foreign-
 
Country of origin
 
born Latinos use a term linked to their
 
Latino/Hispanic or Asian/Asian American
American
 
country of origin (e.g., “Mexican”). Only half
that many (29%) report that they call Hispanics
 
themselves a pan-ethnic term such as All
“Hispanic” or “Latino.” And just 8% of Latino
 
51 24 21
 
1st generation
 
immigrants say that they most often call
 
61 29 8
 
themselves “American.”
2nd generation
 
38 20 37
 
Asian Americans
 
Patterns among the second generation show
marked differences. A notable minority (38%) All
still identifies primarily with their family’s
 
62 19 14
 
1st generation
 
country of origin, and 20% most often call
 
69 18 9
 
themselves either “Hispanic” or “Latino.” 2nd generation
 
45 23 27
 
However, second-generation Latinos are far
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Volunteered responses of
more likely than their foreign-born “Depends” and “Don’t know/Refused” not shown. There were
 
some differences in question wording for Hispanics vs. Asian
counterparts to most often call themselves Americans; see the topline in Appendix 3 for details.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q59, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q42
 
“American”—37% do.
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
48
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
This pattern of self-identification across generations is quite similar to that of Asian
Americans. Among the foreign born, some 69% report that they most often classify themselves
by their country of origin (e.g., “Chinese American”). Asian immigrants are slightly less likely
than their Hispanic counterparts to identify by a pan-ethnic or pan-racial term, but still almost
two-in-ten (18%) identify as “Asian” or “Asian American.” Finally, some 9% of Asian
immigrants state that they most often identify themselves as “American.”
 
As with Latinos, the share of second-generation Asian Americans who identify primarily by
their country of origin is smaller than it is among the first generation. Some 45% of second-
generation Asian Americans say as much. The share of second-generation Asian Americans
who identify primarily as “Asian” or “Asian American” is 23%, not much different than the
share in the first generation who say the same. Second-generation Asian Americans, though,
are much more likely to describe themselves as “American,” with about one-fourth (27%)
saying they do so.
 
Do You Think of Yourself as a Typical American?
 
Though the bulk of Latinos continue to
identify themselves based upon their country Do You Think of Yourself as …
or region of origin, many also think of %
themselves as a typical American. Fully one-
 
 
Very different from a typical American
 
A typical American
 
third (33%) of immigrants say as much, as do
 
more than six-in-ten (61%) second-generation
 
Hispanics
 
Latinos. Conversely, 59% of immigrant All
Latinos and about one-third (36%) of second
 
 
47 47
 
1st generation
 
generation Latinos report that they think of
themselves as very different from a typical
 
59 33
 
2nd generation
 
American.
 
36 61
 
Asian Americans
 
The patterns of response on this question
 
All
 
among Asian Americans are almost identical.
 
53 39
 
1st generation
 
Some 30% of Asian immigrants think of
themselves as a typical American, as do 61% of
 
60 30
 
2nd generation
 
second-generation Asian Americans, while
 
34 61
 
Notes: Based on all adults. “Don’t know/Refused” responses
 
60% of Asian immigrants and 34% of second-
 
not shown.
 
generation Asian Americans think of
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q54, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q24
 
themselves as very different from a typical
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
American.
 
 
49
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
English-Speaking Ability25
 
English-speaking ability is limited among
Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. Less than half
(48%) of foreign-born Latinos can converse in
English either very well or well: About one-
fourth (28%) report speaking English very
well, and 20% report speaking the language
well. One-fifth (20%) of Latino immigrants
speak no English at all, and about one-third
(32%) don’t speak the language well.
 
However, the vast majority (93%) of second-
generation Latinos report that they can speak
English either very well (85%) or well (8%).
 
Patterns of English proficiency are quite
different among Asian American immigrants
compared with their Hispanic counterparts.
Fully three-fourths (78%) speak English either
very well (54%) or well (23%). About 6% don’t
speak English at all, and the remaining 17%
don’t speak the language well.
 
As with second-generation Latinos, the vast
 
English Proficiency
 
% who can carry on a conversation in English, both
understanding and speaking …
 
Very well
 
Well
 
Hispanics
 
All
1st generation
 
 
54 14
 
28 20
 
2nd generation
 
85 8
 
Asian Americans
 
All
 
62 20
 
1st generation
 
54 23
 
2nd generation
 
82 10
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Those who speak English “very
well” includes those who report speaking only English at
home. Those saying they speak English “not well” or “not at
all” not shown.
 
Source: 2004 Current Population Survey, October
supplement.
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
majority of second-generation Asian Americans speak English either very well or well. About
nine-in-ten of this group report that they speak English either very well (82%) or well (10%).
 
25 Survey data on English proficiency of some groups was unavailable from the Pew Research Center 2012 Asian-American
Survey. These data are derived from the 2004 Current Population Survey, October supplement. Those who speak English “very
well” includes those who report speaking only English at home.
 
 
50
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Retaining the Language of the Ancestral Home
 
The ability to speak Spanish persists for a
large share of second-generation Hispanics,
with eight-in-ten reporting that they can
converse either very or pretty well in that
language: Fully half (50%) report that they can
speak Spanish very well, and 30% report that
they can speak it pretty well. An additional
16% of second-generation Latinos report that
they can speak just a little Spanish, and 4%
report no ability to speak Spanish.
 
Among second-generation Asian Americans,
the story is quite different. Just 4-in-10 (41%)
report that they can speak the language used
in their familial country of origin either very
well (18%) or pretty well (23%). The plurality
of second-generation Asian Americans (33%)
report that they speak just a little of the
language from their family’s country of origin,
and fully one-fourth (26%) report that they
don’t speak that language at all.
 
Ability to Speak Ancestral
Language
 
% who can carry on a conversation in<ancestral
language>, both understanding and speaking …
 
Very well
 
Pretty well
 
Hispanics
 
All
 
54 26
 
1st generation
 
65 27
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans
 
All Data not available
 
1st generation Data not available
 
2nd generation
 
18 23
 
Notes: Based on all Hispanic adults and all second-generation
Asian-American adults. Hispanics were asked about
proficiency in Spanish. Question wording for Asian Americans
varied depending on respondent background; see the topline
in Appendix 3 for details. Responses of “Just a little,” “Not at
all” and “Don’t know/Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q36, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q81
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
50 30
 
 
51
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
The Importance of Retaining the Language of the Ancestral Home
 
Very different attitudes may explain, in part, the stark differences in the likelihood that Latinos
and Asian Americans maintain the ancestral language beyond the first generation.
Respondents were asked how important it is that future generations living in the U.S. be able
to speak the language of the familial homeland. On average, Hispanics were far more likely
 
than Asian Americans to believe this was
important. And among both Hispanics and
Asians, immigrants were more likely than
their second-generation counterparts to say
that maintaining the ancestral language is
very important.
 
Almost all (96%) foreign-born Hispanics feel
that it is very or somewhat important for
future generations to retain the ability to
speak Spanish. Most (82%) consider it very
important. Even among the second
generation, some 94% of Latinos think it
important for future generations to continue
to speak Spanish, though they are a bit less
adamant than the first generation. Some 68%
of second-generation Latinos consider it very
important for future generations to be able to
speak Spanish. Third-generation Latinos are
equally as likely as their second-generation
counterparts to state that retaining the ability
to use Spanish is very or somewhat
important.26
 
In comparison, Asian Americans are less
 
Importance of Maintaining
Ancestral Language
 
How important is it to you that future generations
of … living in the United States be able to speak
<your ancestral language>? (%)
 
Very important
 
Somewhat important
 
Hispanics
 
75 20
 
All
 
82 14
 
1st generation
 
68 26
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans
 
45 35
 
All
 
49 33
 
1st generation
 
37 39
 
2nd generation
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Hispanics asked about being able
to speak Spanish. Question wording for Asian Americans
varied depending on respondent background; see the topline
in Appendix 3 for details.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q70, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q67
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
attached to the idea of maintaining the language of their familial homeland. While the majority
(82%) of Asian immigrants say that it is very or somewhat important to do so, about half (49%)
say that it is very important for future generations to retain the language of their homeland.
 
26 These results not shown. See Pew Hispanic Center, “When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity,” April 4,
2012.
 
 
52
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Second-generation Asian Americans are less likely than their immigrant counterparts to value
the ability to speak the language of the familial homeland, with 37% reporting it is very
important and 39% saying it is somewhat important.
 
 
53
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
CHAPTER 4: STANDARD OF LIVING
 
America’s immigrants and the adult children of immigrants are different in many ways but
nearly identical in one: Overwhelming majorities of both groups see themselves as better off
than their parents were at the same stage of life, according to an analysis of recent Pew
Research Center surveys conducted with a nationally representative sample of Hispanics and a
separate representative survey of Asian Americans.
 
This chapter also looks at how first- and second-generation Hispanics and Asian Americans
assess their personal finances and their satisfaction with the direction of the country as a
whole.
 
Second-generation Hispanics are more upbeat about their personal financial situation than are
Hispanic immigrants, consistent with their better financial outcomes shown in Chapter 2.
Among Asian Americans, however, there are much less pronounced differences in median
household income for immigrants compared with the second generation, and the two
generations give a similar assessment of their financial situation.
 
Clear generational differences emerge when it comes to evaluations of the U.S., however.
Second-generation Hispanics and Asian Americans are, on average, more dissatisfied about
the direction of the country than the immigrant generation in their respective race or ethnic
group. Latino and Asian immigrants are more positive about the direction of the country than
is the general public overall. Second-generation Asian Americans tend to resemble the general
public in views about the direction of the country.
 
 
54
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Standard of Living Comparisons
 
There is a strong tendency to see one’s own
standard of living as better than that of one’s
parents at the same age; this pattern holds
regardless of generation.
 
About seven-in-ten (71%) first-generation
Hispanics say they are better off than their
parents were at the same age; a roughly equal
percentage (67%) of second-generation
Hispanics say the same.
 
Both first- and second-generation Asian
Americans give similar assessments of their
standard of living compared with their parents
at the same age. Three-quarters of first-
generation (74%) and second-generation (75%)
Asian Americans say they are better off than
their parents were at the same age.
 
Compared with the general public, a greater
share of second-generation Asian Americans
see themselves as having a better standard of
living than their parents at the same age; the
 
Compared with Your Parents
 
% saying their own standard of living is … their
parents’ was at this age
 
Better than
 
About the
 
Worse than
same as
 
Hispanics
 
All
 
67 17 14
 
71 17 11
 
1st generation
 
67 15 14
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans
 
73 15 10
 
All
 
74 15 9
 
1st generation
 
75 15 9
 
2nd generation
 
General public
 
60 23 15
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Don’t
know/Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q35, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q10, Pew Research Center December 2011
survey of general public
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
same tendency is found among second-generation Hispanics, but it does not reach statistical
significance.
 
 
55
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Expectations for one’s own children down the
road, however, tend to be more tempered
among second-generation Asian Americans.
 
Most Hispanics expect their children’s
standard of living to exceed their own at the
same stage of life; 72% of Hispanic immigrants
expect their children to be better off than they
are now. Expectations among second-
generation Hispanics are similar, with two-
thirds (66%) predicting their children’s
standard of living will be better than their own
at the same age in life. Both first- and second-
generation Hispanics are more optimistic than
the general public overall about their children’s
standard of living.
 
Among Asian Americans, however, there are
generational differences in outlook. A majority
of Asian-American immigrants expect their
children’s standard of living to be better than
their own (57%). Second-generation Asian
Americans are less sanguine, with 41%
predicting their children will be better off, 28%
saying their standard of living will be the same
 
Expectations for Your Children
 
% saying their children’s standard of living will be …
their own at this age
 
Better than
 
About the
 
Worse than
same as
 
Hispanics
 
All
 
66 12 17
 
72 10 13
 
1st generation
 
66 13 19
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans
 
53 19 19
 
All
 
57 16 17
 
1st generation
 
41 28 24
 
2nd generation
 
General public
 
48 19 23
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Volunteered responses of no
children and “Don’t know/Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q36, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q11, Pew Research Center December 2011
survey of general public
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
and a quarter (24%) saying their children will be worse off than they are now.
 
These differences in expectations across generations hold even when controlling for age, with
younger immigrants (ages 18 to 34) more optimistic about their children’s standard of living
than second-generation Asian Americans in the same age group (62% versus 44% expect their
children’s standard of living will be better than their own).
 
 
56
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Personal Finances
 
Perceptions of personal finances tend to vary
by immigrant generation among Hispanics but
not among Asian Americans. The generational
pattern among Asian Americans is in the same
direction but does not reach statistical
significance.
 
Hispanics as a whole are worse off, on average,
than all U.S. adults in terms of household
income.27 And relative to the general public,
Hispanics are less positive in how they
perceive their personal financial situation.
About a quarter of Hispanic immigrants (27%)
consider their personal finances to be excellent
or good. Ratings of personal finances are better
among second-generation Hispanics; 41% of
this group says their finances are excellent or
good. Ratings of personal finances are about
the same among second-generation Hispanics
as they are for the general public as a whole.
 
The portrait for Asian Americans as a whole is
quite different. Asian Americans are better off,
on average, than all U.S. adults in terms of
 
Rating Your Financial Situation
 
% saying their own personal financial situation is …
 
Excellent/Good
 
Only fair
 
Poor
 
Hispanics
 
All
 
33 50 16
 
27 59 14
 
1st generation
 
41 44 15
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans
 
51 36 11
 
All
 
50 38 11
 
1st generation
 
56 31 10
 
2nd generation
 
43 36 20
 
General public
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Don’t know/
Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q40, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q87, Pew Research Center September
2012 survey of general public
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
household income (adjusted and standardized to a three-person household). And more Asian
Americans rate their personal finances in positive terms than does the general public. First-
and second-generation Asian Americans rate their personal financial situation similarly to
each other, however. About half or more of both first-generation (50%) and second-generation
(56%) Asian Americans consider their financial situation to be excellent or good; the difference
between generational groups does not reach statistical significance. About one-in-ten of each
group say it is poor, and the remainder says it is “only fair” or do not give a rating.
 
27 See Chapter 2, median household annual income adjusted and standardized to a three-person household.
 
 
57
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Country Satisfaction
 
When it comes to perspectives on the U.S. as a whole, about half of Hispanics (51%) and 43%
of Asian Americans are satisfied with the direction of the country. Second-generation
Hispanics and Asian Americans tend to be more discontented than are immigrants in their
 
respective race or ethnic group.
 
Among Hispanics, a majority of immigrants
are satisfied with the direction of the country
(57%) and 36% are dissatisfied. The second
generation is closely divided, with 49% saying
they are satisfied with the way things are going
in the country today and 47% saying they are
dissatisfied.
 
A similar generational difference is found
among Asian Americans. Among Asian
immigrants, 46% are satisfied and 44%
dissatisfied with the direction of the country.
Second-generation Asian Americans are more
negative; six-in-ten (59%) are dissatisfied with
the direction of the country and a third (33%)
are satisfied. This difference in outlook
between generations holds even when
controlling for age; among 18- to 34-year-olds,
immigrants are more satisfied (50%, versus
42% dissatisfied) with the direction of the
country than is the second generation (35%
satisfied versus 56% dissatisfied).
 
Compared with the general public, first-
 
Direction of the Country
 
% saying they are satisfied or dissatisfied with the
way things are going in this country today
 
Dissatisfied
 
Satisfied
 
Hispanics
 
All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
 
43 51
 
36 57
 
47 49
 
Asian Americans
 
All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
 
48 43
 
44 46
 
59 33
 
General public
 
64 31
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Don’t know/
Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q10, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q6, Pew Research Center July 2012 survey
of general public
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
generation Hispanics and Asian Americans are more positive about the direction of the
country. Second-generation Asian Americans resemble the general public in views about the
direction of the country, while second-generation Hispanics tend to be more positive than the
general public.
 
 
58
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
CHAPTER 5: INTERGROUP RELATIONS
 
 
Second-generation Latinos and Asian
Americans are significantly more likely than
the first generation to say their group gets
along well with people from other racial and
ethnic groups, according to an analysis of
recent Pew Research Center surveys conducted
with a nationally representative sample of
Hispanics and a separate nationally
representative survey of Asian Americans.
 
The second generation is also more likely than
the first generation to have a circle of friends
that extends well beyond people from their
country of origin.
 
The two surveys also find that second-
generation Latinos and Asian Americans are
more likely than the immigrant generation to
say they would be “very comfortable” if their
 
Generational Differences in
Intergroup Relations
 
% saying their group gets along with each of three
other groups “very well” or” pretty well”
 
1st generation
 
2nd generation
 
26
Hispanic
52
 
49
Asian American
64
 
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Hispanics were asked how well
either “Hispanics” or “Latinos” get along with blacks, Asians
and whites. Asian Americans were asked how well [country
of origin] Americans get along with blacks, Hispanics or
Latinos, and whites. Some respondents from countries with
small U.S. Asian populations were asked how “Asian
Americans” get along with each of these groups.
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q46a-c, 2012
Asian-American Survey Q49a-c
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
child married someone of a different country of origin or a different race or ethnicity.
 
Data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau on marriage trends offer partial confirmation that
these expressions of acceptance reflect a larger reality. Second-generation Hispanics are
roughly four times as likely as the first generation to be married to someone who is not Latino,
while second-generation Asian Americans are about twice as likely as the first generation to
marry a non-Asian, according to the 2010-2012 Current Population Survey.
 
 
59
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Group Relations
 
The survey asked respondents to rate how
well their racial or ethnic group, as a whole,
gets along with other racial and ethnic groups
in the U.S.: whites, blacks, and either
Hispanics or Asian Americans.
 
Overall, Asian Americans see group relations
with these others in more positive terms than
do Hispanics. The second generation, more so
than the first generation, of both groups tends
to see intergroup relations in a positive light.
More second- than first-generation Latinos
and Asian Americans say their group gets
along with people from all three other racial
and ethnic groups either “very well” or “pretty
well.” Among Latinos, 52% of the second
generation and 26% of the first generation see
their group as getting along very well or
pretty well with whites, blacks and Asian
Americans. Among Asian Americans, the
same pattern occurs; 64% of second-
generation Asians and 49% of Asian
immigrants say their group gets along with
people from all three other racial and ethnic
groups (whites, blacks and Hispanics) either
very well or pretty well.
 
Relations with Other Groups
 
How well do Hispanics get along …
 
Not too/Not at all well
 
Very/Pretty well
With blacks
 
39 56
 
With Asians
 
26 60
 
With whites
 
23 72
 
How well do Asian Americans get along …
 
Not too/Not at all well
 
Very/Pretty well
With blacks
 
28 63
 
With Hispanics
 
19 72
 
With whites
Notes: Based on all adults. “Don’t’ know/Refused” not shown.
Hispanics were asked how well either “Hispanics” or “Latinos”
get along with blacks, Asians and whites. Asian Americans
were asked how well [country of origin] Americans get along
with blacks, Hispanics or Latinos, and whites. Some
respondents from countries with small U.S. Asian populations
were asked how “Asian Americans” get along with each of
these groups.
 
9 87
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q46a-c, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q49a-c
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
60
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Group Relations with Blacks: Generational differences occur when Hispanics and Asian
Americans are asked in the two surveys how well their group gets along with blacks.
 
About half (52%) of first-generation Latinos
say Hispanics get along “not too well” or “not
well at all” with African Americans. Yet
among second-generation Hispanics, the
proportion who report tensions between
Latinos and blacks is only about half as large
(27%). In place of perceived conflict, good
relations prevail: Seven-in-ten (69%) second-
generation adults report that Latinos get
along very well or pretty well with African
Americans.
 
Similar though less pronounced differences in
attitudes exist between first and second
generations of Asian Americans. About six-inten
Asian immigrants say that Asian
Americans from their home country get along
very well or pretty well with African
Americans.28 Among the second generation,
that proportion is 11 percentage points higher
(71%).
 
Relations with Blacks
 
How well do …
 
Not too/Not at all well
 
Very/Pretty well
 
...Hispanics get along with blacks
 
All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
39 56
 
52 43
 
27 69
 
...Asian Americans get along with blacks
 
All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
28 63
 
31 60
 
20 71
 
Notes: Based on all adults. “Don’t’ know/Refused” not shown.
Hispanics were asked how well either “Hispanics” or “Latinos”
get along with blacks. Asian Americans were asked how well
[country of origin] Americans get along with blacks. Some
respondents from countries with small U.S. Asian populations
were asked how “Asian Americans” get along with blacks.
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q46b, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q49b.
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
28 Asian Americans were asked how well [country of origin] Americans get along with blacks. Some respondents from countries
with small U.S. Asian populations were asked how “Asian Americans” get along with blacks.
 
 
 
 
61
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Latino-Asian Relations: Equally large
 
Relations between Latinos and
 
generational differences occur in perceptions
 
Asian Americans
 
of how well Latinos and Asian Americans say
 
How well do …
 
they get along with each other.
 
Not too/Not at all well
 
Very/Pretty well
 
...Hispanics get along with Asians
 
About half (49%) of first-generation Hispanics
report good relations with Asians, while 34% All
 
26 60
 
say the two groups do not get along. (An
additional 17% did not rate group relations
with Asians.) But among second-generation
Latinos, about three-in-four (76%) say the
groups get along very well or pretty well, and
20% report that they do not.
 
1st generation
2nd generation
 
20 76
 
...Asian Americans get along with Hispanics
 
All
1st generation
 
19 72
 
34 49
 
21 69
 
Similar though less pronounced differences
surface among first- and second-generation
Asian Americans. Among the second
generation, about eight-in-ten (78%) report
good relations between Latinos and Asian
Americans from their country of origin, nine
percentage points more than the share among
the immigrant generation (69%).29
 
2nd generation
 
Notes: Based on all adults. “Don’t’ know/Refused” not
shown. Hispanics were asked how well either “Hispanics” or
“Latinos” get along with Asians. Asian Americans were asked
how well [country of origin] Americans get along with
Hispanics or Latinos. Some respondents from countries with
small U.S. Asian populations were asked how “Asian
Americans” get along with Hispanics or Latinos.
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q46c, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q49c.
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
13 78
 
29 Asian Americans were asked how well [country of origin] Americans get along with Hispanics or Latinos. Some respondents
from countries with small U.S. Asian populations were asked how “Asian Americans” get along with Hispanics or Latinos.
 
 
 
 
62
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Group Relations with Whites: Hispanics
and Asian Americans tend to see group
relations with whites in more positive terms
than with either blacks or with each other.
But here, too, generational differences
emerge.
 
Two-thirds of Latino immigrants say their
group gets along with whites either very or
pretty well. That figure is higher among
second-generation Latinos, of whom 81% say
their group gets along well with whites.
 
Less dramatic generational differences occur
among Asian Americans. Fully 86% of Asian
immigrants say their group gets along with
whites very well (25%) or pretty well (61%).
More second-generation Asian Americans say
their group gets along with whites (91%); 31%
say the two groups get along very well and
61% pretty well.30
 
Relations with Whites
 
How well do…
 
Not too/Not at all well
 
Very/Pretty well
 
...Hispanics get along with whites
 
All
 
1st generation
 
2nd generation
 
23
28
72
18
66
81
...Asian Americans get along with whites
 
All
 
1st generation
 
2nd generation
Notes: Based on all adults. “Don’t’ know/Refused” not shown.
Hispanics were asked how well either “Hispanics” or “Latinos”
get along with whites. Asian Americans were asked how well
[country of origin] Americans get along with whites. Some
respondents from countries with small U.S. Asian populations
were asked how “Asian Americans” get along with whites.
 
9 87
10 86
4 91
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q46a, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q49a.
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
30 Asian Americans were asked how well [country of origin] Americans get along with whites. Some respondents from countries
with small U.S. Asian populations were asked how “Asian Americans” get along with whites.
 
 
63
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Friendships
 
Hispanics and Asian Americans who were
born outside the United States are
significantly more likely than the second
generation to say most or all of their friends
are also from their home country.
 
Among Hispanics, about two-thirds of the
foreign born (64%) say all or most of their
friends in the United States also trace their
roots to the same country of origin, compared
with 49% of second-generation Latinos.
 
The “friendship gap” is even larger among
Asian Americans. Among the first generation,
about half (49%) say their friends are mostly
from their country of origin. In contrast, only
17% of the second generation has as narrow a
circle of friends.
 
Friendships
 
% who say all or most of their friends in the United
States come from their country of origin
 
Hispanics
 
All
 
1st generation
 
2nd generation 49
All
Asian Americans
41
1st generation
2nd generation 17
49
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Some,” “Hardly
any,” and volunteered responses of “None” and “Don’t
know/Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q44, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q44.
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
64
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Generations and Attitudes toward Intermarriage
 
Large generational differences also emerge on questions measuring attitudes toward
intermarriage.
 
About half (49%) of first-generation Hispanics
but 71% of the second generation say they
would be “very comfortable” if their child
married someone who was not Hispanic.
 
Among Asian Americans, about four-in-ten
(41%) of the first generation but 73% of the
second say they would be “very comfortable” if
their child married someone who is not Asian.
 
A similar pattern emerges when respondents
are asked in a separate question how
comfortable they would be if their child
married someone who was not from their
country of origin.
 
About six-in-ten (58%) first-generation
Hispanics but 76% of the second generation
say they would be very comfortable if their
child married someone from a home country
different from their own. Similarly, close to
half (46%) of foreign-born Asian Americans
and 78% of the second generation would be
very comfortable to welcome a son- or
daughter-in-law who was not from their
country of origin.
 
Marrying Someone of a Different
Racial or Ethnic Background
 
% who say they would be … if their child married
someone of a different racial or ethnic background*
 
Very comfortable
Somewhat comfortable
Not too/not at all comfortable
 
Hispanics
 
All
 
59 25 11
 
49 31 13
 
1st generation
 
71 17 8
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans
 
49 29 18
 
All
 
41 32 22
 
1st generation
 
73 19 6
 
2nd generation
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Volunteered responses of depends
and “Don’t’ know/Refused” not shown.*Hispanics were asked
how comfortable they would be if their child married
someone who had “no Hispanic/Latino background.” Asian
Americans were asked how comfortable they would be if their
child married someone who had “no Asian background.”
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q71c, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q68c.
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
65
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Intermarriage Rates
 
Data from the 2010 through 2012 Current
Population Surveys show that these
contrasting views on intermarriage echo
generational differences in marriage patterns.
 
Overall about 8 percent of all married adults
in the U.S. have a spouse of a different race or
ethnicity; intermarriage is more common
among second-generation immigrants (15%)
than those in the first generation (8%).31 This
generational pattern holds among most race
and ethnic groups, except among whites.
 
About a quarter of married second-generation
Hispanics (26%) have intermarried, compared
with 7% for members of the first generation.
The proportion where the spouse is non-
Hispanic increases to 31% among Latinos in
the third generation and higher.
 
Among those who are married, about a
quarter (23%) of second-generation Asian
Americans have a non-Asian spouse,
compared with 10% of the immigrant
generation. The percentage with a non-Asian
spouse rises to 31% among Asian Americans in
the third generation and higher.
 
In contrast, intermarriage for non-Hispanic
whites is about the same across generations.
Among this group, only 6% of the first
generation have a spouse of a different race or
 
Intermarriage by Generations
 
% of married adults in each group who have a spouse
of a different racial or ethnic background
 
U.S. Adults
All 8
1st generation 8
2nd generation 15
3rd or higher 7
Hispanics
All 16
1st generation 7
2nd generation 26
3rd or higher
Asian Americans
All 13
1st generation 10
2nd generation 23
3rd or higher
Whites
All 5
1st generation 6
2nd generation 6
3rd or higher 5
Blacks
All 9
1st generation 7
2nd generation 27
3rd or higher 9
 
Notes: Based on married adults currently living with their
spouse. See Methodology for more details.
 
Source: IPUMS-CPS March 2010-2012
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
31 This figure and others in this section are based on currently married adults with their spouse present in the home. The
percentage intermarried is higher among recently married adults. About 15% of new marriages in 2010 were between spouses of
a different race or ethnicity—9% of newly married whites, 17% of blacks, 26% of Hispanics and 28% of Asian Americans,
according to 2010 American Community Survey data. For a detailed analysis of intermarriage among those recently married, see
Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends project “The Rise of Intermarriage,” Feb. 16, 2012.
 
 
66
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
ethnicity, identical to the percentage for second-generation whites and about equal to the 5%
for later generations.
 
Among those who are married, 9% of blacks are married to someone who is not black. About
7% of all married black immigrants have a spouse who is not black. That proportion rises to
27% of the second generation. Unlike Hispanics and Asian Americans, similar percentages of
blacks in the first generation and the third generation or higher intermarry (7% and 9%,
respectively). The different pattern of intermarriage across generations of blacks could be
related to a number of factors. Although the U.S. has a sizable black population as a legacy of
slavery, voluntary black immigration is a relatively recent trend. There was almost no
significant black immigration from about 1850 through 1970; the percentage of immigrants in
the black population was never higher than 1.5% during that period. As such, second-
generation blacks descending from the immigrant generation also have a more recent history
in the U.S. Differences between the native stock (third generation or higher) and the
immigrant stock (first and second generations combined) in the black population are not likely
driven by trends in immigration over the past 150 years.
 
Recent Marriages: While this analysis is based on U.S. adults who are married—whether
those vows were taken in the past few years or past few decades—the same generational
differences are found for married adults ages 18 to 29 as among all adults. The patterns among
younger adults reflect relatively recent marriage trends, while the patterns in the entire adult
population are a function of longer-term trends in marriage patterns. Thus, while
intermarriage has become more common in the population as a whole in recent years, the
generational difference in intermarriage is also present among younger, more recently married
adults.32
 
Immigrants and Marriage before Arrival: Some of the generational differences in
marrying outside of one’s racial or ethnic group may be explained by the fact that many
immigrants are already married when they arrive in the United States. A previous Pew
Research Center analysis of new marriages finds the intermarriage rate is higher among U.S.born
(i.e., second generation and higher) Hispanics and Asian Americans than among the first
generation of each group, a pattern that has held since 1980 even for immigrants who married
after coming to the U.S.33
 
32 For an analysis of new marriages in 2010, see Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends project “The Rise of
Intermarriage,” Feb. 16, 2012.
33 For an analysis of intermarriage trends since 1980, see Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends project “Marrying
Out: One-in-Seven New U.S. Marriages is Interracial or Interethnic,” June 4, 2010.
 
 
 
67
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Group Size and Intermarriage: It is
important to keep in mind that the percentage
married to someone of another race or ethnic
group is influenced by the size of each group
in the population. A smaller race or ethnic
group has, by definition, a smaller pool of
potential spouses from the same race or ethnic
group and a larger pool of potential spouses
from a different group. In the U.S., for
example, it is mathematically impossible for
intermarriage rates of the majority race or
ethnic group, non-Hispanic whites, to surpass
those of smaller race and ethnic groups even if
intermarriage rates for those smaller groups
were 100%.
 
Patterns of Intermarriage by
Gender and Education
 
Intermarriage also tends to vary by gender
and education. However, the overall
generational pattern found among Hispanics,
Asian Americans, and blacks—with more in
the second generation than in the first
marrying outside their group—tends to hold
for both men and women and across
education levels.
 
Gender: Overall, there are no gender
differences in the prevalence of intermarriage
for married men and women by generation.
 
There is a modest gender difference in
intermarriage among first-generation
 
Gender and Intermarriage
 
Among married individuals, the percentage of men
and women in each group who has a spouse of a
different racial or ethnic background
 
Men
 
U.S. Adults All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
Hispanics
 
All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans
 
All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
Whites
 
All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
Blacks
 
All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
Women
 
8
8
 
 
6
10
 
 
15
16
 
15
17
 
6
8
 
 
25
27
 
8
17
 
 
5
15
 
 
19
28
 
5
4
 
6
5
 
 
7
6
 
 
12
5
 
 
8
7
 
 
14
 
Notes: Based on married adults currently living with their
spouse. See Methodology for more details.
 
Source: IPUMS-CPS March 2010-2012
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Hispanics (6% for men and 8% for women). Married Hispanic men and women in the second
generation are about equally likely to have a spouse who is not Latino.
 
 
68
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
While Asian-American women are more likely
than men to intermarry, generational
differences in intermarriage hold among both
men and women.
 
Among whites, men and women within the
first and second generation are about equally
likely to intermarry.
 
Overall, black men are more likely than black
women to intermarry (12% versus 5%). This
gender difference is especially pronounced
among second-generation blacks; immigrant
black men and women are about equally likely
to be intermarried.
 
Education: Overall, there is a modest
relationship between educational attainment
and intermarriage among all those currently
married.34 The strength of the association
between education and intermarriage varies
somewhat across racial and ethnic groups; it is
strongest among Hispanics.
 
Generational differences in intermarriage tend
to hold across education differences, with the
second generation more likely than the first
generation to intermarry, regardless of
education level.
 
Among married Hispanics, those who attended
college are significantly more likely than those
 
Education and Intermarriage
 
Among married individuals, the percentage at each
education level in each group who are married to
someone of a different race or ethnicity
 
HS Grad Some College
 
U.S. Adults or less college grad+
All 6 9 8
1st Generation 5 12 11
2nd Generation 10 17 18
 
Hispanics
 
All 9 26 33
1st Generation 4 14 20
2nd Generation 16 29 43
 
Asian
Americans
 
All 10 17 13
1st Generation 9 14 10
2nd Generation 13 22 29
 
Whites
 
All 4 5 5
1st Generation 5 6 6
2nd Generation 4 7 7
 
Blacks
 
All 7 10 10
1st Generation 5 7 11
2nd Generation NA NA 22
 
Notes: Based on married adults currently living with their
spouse. See Methodology for more details.
 
NA indicates sample size too small to report.
 
Source: IPUMS-CPS March 2010-2012.
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
who did not to have a non-Hispanic spouse. This association is especially strong among
second-generation Hispanics but also occurs among the first generation.
 
34 In other Pew Research Center analyses of new marriages in the U.S., there is a modest relationship between education and
intermarriage. Marrying out is more common among adults who attended college than those who did not among newlyweds. See
Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends project “Marrying Out: One-in-Seven New U.S. Marriages is Interracial or
Interethnic,” June 4, 2010.
 
 
69
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
A somewhat different pattern emerges among married Asian Americans. Among the second
generation, about three-in-ten college graduates (29%) have a spouse who is a non-Asian,
while 13% of those with a high school diploma or less schooling have a non-Asian spouse. But
among members of the first generation, the intermarriage rate is virtually identical for those
with college degrees (10%) and those with a high school diploma or less schooling (9%).
 
There is no relationship between education and intermarriage among first-generation whites,
although there is a modest relationship among second-generation whites. And there are too
few second-generation blacks for a full analysis of intermarriage by generation and education;
among first-generation blacks, higher education is associated with more intermarriage.
 
 
70
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
CHAPTER 6: POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES
 
 
Relative to the general public, Asian Americans and, particularly, Hispanics tend to skew more
Democratic than Republican in party identification and more liberal than conservative in
ideology, according to an analysis of recent Pew Research Center surveys conducted with a
nationally representative sample of Hispanics and a separate representative survey of Asian
Americans. Second-generation and immigrant Asian Americans hold roughly the same
partisan affiliations, though second-generation Hispanics are even more strongly Democratic-
leaning than are immigrant Hispanics, however.
 
Other political orientations paint a complex portrait of the generations. Among Asian
Americans, there are no differences in political ideology by generation, but the second
generation is more inclined than the first generation to prefer a smaller government with fewer
services over a larger, more activist government. Some of that difference may be explained by
the younger average age of second-generation Asian Americans relative to Asian immigrants.
 
Among Hispanics, there is somewhat less support for an activist government among the
second generation than Hispanic immigrants, although a clear majority of both generations
prefers a larger government with more services to a smaller one providing fewer services. But
more of the second-generation Hispanics identify themselves as liberal on political issues than
do first-generation Hispanics.
 
Generational differences are pronounced on attitudes about social issues. Second-generation
Hispanics and Asian Americans are more liberal than the first generation on attitudes about
homosexuality and abortion. Compared with the general public, second-generation Asian
Americans are more liberal on both issues. Second-generation Hispanics tend to be more
accepting of homosexuality than the general public; their views on abortion are similar to those
of the general public.
 
 
71
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Party identification
 
Both Hispanics and Asian Americans as a
whole identify more with the Democratic than
the Republican Party. Second-generation
Hispanics follow this pattern even more
strongly than do Hispanic immigrants.
 
About six-in-ten (63%) first-generation
Hispanics are Democrats or independents
who lean toward the Democrats. Second-
generation Hispanics even more strongly
identify with or lean toward the Democratic
Party (71%) than the Republican Party (19%).
 
Among Asian Americans, there is no
difference between first and second
generation in party identification. About half
identify with or lean toward the Democratic
Party (49% among first-generation Asian
Americans and 52% among the second
generation), while fewer identify with or lean
toward the Republican Party (27% among the
first generation and 32% among the second).
 
Political Party
 
% identifying with either political party
 
Rep/lean Rep
 
Dem/lean Dem
 
Hispanics
 
All
 
18 66
 
1st generation
 
16 63
 
2nd generation
 
19 71
 
Asian Americans
 
All
 
28 50
 
1st generation
 
27 49
 
2nd generation
 
32 52
 
General public
 
39 49
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Those who refuse to lean not
shown.
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q61-62, 2012
Asian-American Survey PARTY-PARTYLN, Pew Research
Center surveys 2012 average for general public
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Compared with Hispanics, more Asian Americans do not lean toward either party.
 
72
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Political Ideology
 
Relative to the general public, both Hispanics
and Asian Americans also tilt more toward
liberal than conservative views on political
issues. Generational differences on political
ideology are modest, with second-generation
Hispanics somewhat more liberal than
immigrant Hispanics and no differences by
generation among Asian Americans.
 
Second-generation Hispanics are more likely
than immigrant Hispanics to describe their
political views as either “very liberal” or
“liberal”—36% versus 27%. The share
describing their views as either “very
conservative” or “conservative,” however, is
not a statistically significant difference—28%
for second-generation Hispanics and 34% for
the first generation.
 
Among all U.S. Asians, 31% describe their
political views as liberal, while 24% say they
are conservative and 37% say they are
moderate. There are no significant differences
between first- and second-generation Asian
Americans on political ideology.
 
Political Ideology
 
% identifying their political views as …
 
Conservative
 
Moderate
 
Liberal
 
Hispanics
 
All
 
32 31 30
 
34 31 27
 
1st generation
 
28 30 36
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans
 
24 37 31
 
All
 
23 38 30
 
1st generation
 
24 37 32
 
2nd generation
 
37 36 22
 
General public
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Don’t
know/Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q83, 2012 Asian-
American Survey IDEO, Pew Research Center surveys 2012
average for general public
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
73
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Role of Government
 
There are modest generational differences
on views about the role of government,
with second-generation Hispanics and
Asian Americans less inclined than the
immigrant generation toward an activist
government.
 
About eight-in-ten (83%) first-generation
Hispanics say they would rather have a
bigger government with more services
than a smaller government with fewer
services. While still a clear majority, the
share opting for an activist government is
lower (71%) among second-generation
Hispanics. Compared with the general
public, both first- and second-generation
Hispanics prefer a more activist
government.
 
Among Asian Americans, more of the first
generation (57%) than the second
 
Preferences for Government Role
 
% saying they prefer a government that is …
 
Smaller, fewer services
 
Bigger, more services
 
Hispanics
 
All
 
19 75
 
1st generation
 
11 83
 
2nd generation
 
24 71
 
Asian Americans
 
All
 
36 55
 
1st generation
 
33 57
 
2nd generation
 
46 47
 
General public
 
52 39
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Volunteered responses of “Depends”
and “Don’t know/Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q53, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q13, Pew Research Center January 2012 survey
of general public
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
generation (47%) prefer a bigger
government that provides more services. Second-generation Asian Americans hold views more
similar to those of the general public on this issue. However, some of the generational
differences among Asian Americans may be related to age. Younger Asian Americans are
somewhat less inclined to an activist role of government than are older adults (age 55 and
older). When comparing immigrants ages 18 to 34 with their age peers in the second
generation, the differences between generations on this item are not statistically significant.
 
 
74
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Attitudes on Social Issues
 
Differences by generation are evident Views on Homosexuality
when it comes to attitudes on social issues
 
% saying homosexuality … by society
 
such as homosexuality and abortion.
 
Should be discouraged
 
Should be accepted
 
Second-generation Hispanics and Asian Hispanics
 
Americans are more accepting of All
homosexuality and legal abortion relative
 
30 59
 
1st generation
 
to the foreign born in each group.
 
33 53
 
2nd generation
 
25 68
 
Among Hispanics, about half (53%) of the Asian Americans
 
first generation say that homosexuality
All
 
35 53
 
should be accepted by society. Among 1st generation
 
41 46
 
second-generation Hispanics, fully two
 
 
2nd generation
 
thirds (68%) say the same. Second-
generation Hispanics are also more
 
15 78
 
accepting of homosexuality than is the General public
 
32 56
 
general public as a whole.
Notes: Based on all adults. Volunteered responses of
“Neither/Both equally” and “Don’t know/Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q77, 2012 Asian-
Generational differences among Asian American Survey Q82, Pew Research Center January 2012 survey
 
of general public
 
Americans are even more pronounced.
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
First-generation Asian Americans are
divided in their views, with 46% saying
homosexuality should be accepted by society and 41% saying it should be discouraged. Second-
generation Asian Americans skew strongly toward acceptance, however, with 78% saying
homosexuality should be accepted by society. As with Hispanics, second-generation Asian
Americans are more accepting of homosexuality than is the general public.
 
Views on homosexuality also tend to be related to age. While younger Asian-American
immigrants tend to be more accepting of homosexuality than older immigrants, the greater
acceptance of homosexuality among second-generation Asian Americans versus those in the
first generation remains even when controlling for age. (Fully 81% of second-generation Asian
Americans ages 18 to 34 say homosexuality should be accepted by society, compared with 58%
of the first generation.)
 
 
75
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Similar generational differences are
evident when it comes to views about
abortion, with the second generation of
each group holding more liberal positions
on this issue.
 
Foreign-born Hispanics are more
conservative than second-generation
Hispanics about abortion. About six-in-ten
(58%) first-generation Hispanics say
abortion should mainly be illegal; a third
(33%) say it should mainly be legal. The
balance of opinion about abortion among
second-generation Hispanics is in the
opposite direction, with 55% saying
abortion should mainly be legal and four-
in-ten (40%) saying it should mainly be
illegal. Views about abortion among
second-generation Hispanics closely
mirror those of the general public.
 
Views on Abortion
 
% saying abortion should be … in all or most cases
 
Illegal all/most
 
Legal all/most
 
Hispanics
 
51 43
 
All
 
58 33
 
1st generation
 
40 55
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans
 
All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
37 54
 
40 51
 
29 66
 
43 51
 
General public
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Don’t know/Refused”
not shown.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q78, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q83, Pew Research Center November 2011
survey of general public.
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
About two-thirds (66%) of second-
generation Asian Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, a sentiment
shared by about half (51%) of first-generation Asian Americans. This pattern of greater
acceptance of legal abortion among second-generation Asian Americans compared with the
first generation holds even when controlling for age. Two-thirds (66%) of second-generation
Asian Americans ages 18 to 34 say abortion should mainly be legal, compared with 54% among
immigrants in that age group. Support for legal abortion is higher among second-generation
Asian Americans than it is among the general public.
 
 
76
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
CHAPTER 7: COUNTRY COMPARISONS, PERSONAL VALUES
AND GOALS, PERCEPTIONS OF GROUP SUCCESS
 
This chapter summarizes findings on a wide range of survey topics on which generational
differences are mixed, nonexistent or varied between Asian Americans and Hispanics. Among
the topics covered are evaluations of the United States versus one’s ancestral country of origin;
personal values and goals; perceptions of discrimination and group success; and attitudes
 
about work and social trust.
 
How the U.S. Compares with
Country of Origin
 
Majorities of Latinos and Asian Americans say
the United States is better than their country
of origin in terms of opportunities to get
ahead, treatment of the poor and conditions
for raising children. Fewer than half rate the
United States as being better than the country
where they or their ancestors came from in
terms of the strength of family ties and its
moral values. Across these five ratings, few
generational differences emerge, however.
 
Generational differences are seen when it
comes to rating conditions for raising children.
Second-generation Hispanics and Asian
Americans are significantly more likely than
the immigrant generation to say the United
States is a better place than their country of
origin to raise children (81% versus 69% for
Latinos, 70% versus 61% for Asian Americans).
 
A mixed pattern emerges when the focus turns
to opportunities to get ahead. Virtually
identical proportions of first- and second-
generation Latinos say chances for
advancement are better in the U.S. (88% and
87%, respectively). But among Asian
 
Comparisons Between U.S. and
Home Country
 
% in each group who say things are ... in terms of
 
Better where
 
you/your
Better parents came
in U.S. from Same
 
% % %
 
The conditions for raising children
 
Hispanics
All 72 10 17
1st generation 69 11 18
2nd generation 81 6 11
Asian Americans
All 62 13 20
1st generation 61 15 20
2nd generation 70 7 18
The opportunity to get ahead
Hispanics
All 87 2 10
1st generation 88 1 10
2nd generation 87 1 11
Asian Americans
All 73 5 18
1st generation 71 6 19
2nd generation 80 2 15
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Don’t know/
Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q66d,f; 2012
Asian-American Survey Q54d,f
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
77
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Americans, a larger share of the second
generation (80%) than the first (71%) sees
more opportunities in this country.
 
No significant generational differences
emerge among Latinos on the three other
conditions tested in the survey or among
Asian Americans on two of the three.
 
Roughly equal proportions of first- and
second-generation Latinos say the U.S. is
superior to their country of origin in terms of
treatment of the poor (74% among first-
generation Latinos and 69% among the
second generation). Among Asian Americans,
more in the first generation say the U.S. is
superior to their country of origin in terms of
treatment of the poor than do those in the
second generation (68% versus 57%).
 
In terms of moral values in the U.S. compared
with one’s country of origin, both Latinos and
Asian Americans of each generation are about
equally likely to say moral values are better in
the U.S. than in their country of origin.
 
The two generations in both groups also
resemble each other in their views about the
strength of family ties in U.S. compared with
their country of origin. About four-in-ten first-
and second-generation Latinos say family ties
are stronger in their country of origin (39%
and 44%, respectively); majorities of first- and
second-generation Asian Americans (57% and
60%, respectively) say the same thing.
 
Comparisons Between U.S. and
Home Country (continued)
 
% in each group who say things are ... in terms of
 
Better where
 
you/your
Better parents came
in U.S. from Same
 
% % %
 
Treatment of the poor
 
Hispanics
All 69 7 21
1st generation 74 5 19
2nd generation 69 11 18
Asian Americans
All 64 9 21
1st generation 68 8 20
2nd generation 57 10 21
The moral values of society
Hispanics
All 44 21 32
1st generation 44 24 29
2nd generation 49 20 27
Asian Americans
All 34 28 32
1st generation 36 27 32
2nd generation 30 28 31
The strength of family ties
Hispanics
All 33 39 26
1st generation 32 39 26
2nd generation 33 44 23
Asian Americans
All 14 56 26
1st generation 14 57 26
2nd generation 14 60 23
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Don’t know/
Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q66a,b,c; 2012
Asian-American Survey Q54a,b,c
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
78
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Perceptions of Group Success
 
A mixed generational pattern emerges when Hispanics and Asian Americans are asked how
 
well their group has done in the U.S. compared
with other minorities.
 
More than four-in-ten of the first generation
(44%) of Asian Americans say their group has
achieved relatively more success in this
country than other racial and ethnic minority
groups. So does a similar share of those in the
second generation (39%). Comparable
proportions of each generation say Asian
Americans have been less successful (5% for
both first and second generations) or have had
equal success (45% and 48%, respectively).
 
Among Latinos, 62% of the second generation
and 53% of the first generation say Hispanics
have been as successful as other racial and
ethnic minority groups in the U.S. The
remainder of each generation is divided in
roughly equal camps, with 17% of the first
generation and 15% of the second generation
saying that Hispanics have fared better than
other minority groups and 23% of the first
generation and 20% of the second generation
saying Hispanics have fared worse.
 
Perceptions of Group Success
 
% of each group who say their ethnic or racial group
has been … than other minority groups
 
More Less Equally
successful successful successful
Hispanics
 
17 22 55
 
All
 
17 23 53
 
1st generation
 
15 20 62
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans
 
43 5 45
 
All
 
44 5 45
 
1st generation
 
39 5 48
 
2nd generation
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Volunteered responses of
“Depends” and “Don’t know/Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q64, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q47
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
79
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Benefits and Burdens of Race, Ethnicity
 
When respondents are asked whether their race or ethnicity helps or hurts them in finding a
job, winning a promotion or getting admitted to schools and colleges, a varied generational
pattern emerges.
 
About half or more of both first- and second-generation Asian Americans say that their
heritage has no effect when it comes to getting a job or a promotion, or gaining admission to
schools and colleges; those who see an effect are about evenly divided between saying their
heritage is a help or a hindrance in getting a job or promotion. However, when it comes to
school and college admissions, Asian immigrants are more likely to see their heritage as an
advantage (20% say it helps; 10% say it hurts), while about equal portions of the second
generation say their heritage helps (21%) as hurts (17%).
 
As a group, Latinos have mixed views over the effect that being of their ethnic group has on
getting a job or a promotion, or applying for admission to schools and colleges. Second-
generation Hispanics, more so than the first generation, say there is no effect of being Hispanic
on either getting a promotion at work or on gaining admission into schools and colleges.
Immigrants are more likely than the second-generation to say that being Hispanic helps in
both situations. There are no significant generational differences in views about the effect of
being Hispanic on getting a job.
 
Note that the questions asked of Latinos may not be directly comparable to those asked of
Asian Americans on these issues, because Latinos were asked about the effect of being a
member of their pan-ethnic group (e.g., Hispanic or Latino), while Asian Americans were
asked about the effect being a member of their country of origin group (e.g., Chinese American,
Korean American and so forth). See Appendix 3 for results among a subsample of respondents
asked about the effect of being a Mexican American on getting a job or a promotion, or in
gaining school and college admissions.
 
 
80
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Promotions: First-generation Hispanics are
 
considerably more likely than those in the
second generation to say that their ethnicity
helps rather than hurts their chances of getting
a promotion (41% versus 24%).
 
At the same time, roughly equal shares of both
generations say that being Latino hurts
promotion chances (21% for the first
generation versus 18% for the second). The
remainder says it makes no difference.
 
Among Asian Americans, roughly similar
proportions of the first and second generations
say their race or country of origin helps them
get promotions (15% for the first generation;
11% for the second) or hurts their chances
(16% versus 12%). But the immigrant
generation is significantly less likely than the
second to say makes no difference (58% versus
70%).
 
Race, Ethnicity and Promotions
 
% who say being a member of their ethnic or racial
group … in getting a promotion at work
 
Helps
 
Hurts
 
Makes no difference
 
Hispanics
 
32 19 46
 
All
 
41 21 35
 
1st generation
 
24 18 54
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans*
 
14 15 61
 
All
 
15 16 58
 
1st generation
 
11 12 70
 
2nd generation
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Don’t
know/Refused” not shown. *Asian Americans were asked the
impact of being from their country of origin on getting a
promotion. Some respondents from countries with small
Asian populations were asked the impact of being “Asian
American.”
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q45ab, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q46b
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
81
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Finding a Job: No generational differences
emerge when Latinos are asked about the
impact of their racial or ethnic background on
the chances that they will find a job;
generational differences among Asian
Americans are modest.
 
Among Latinos, about four-in-ten of the first
generation (40%) and 37% of the second
generation see their ethnicity as helpful in
getting work, while 22% and 25%, respectively,
say it hurts. About a third of each generation
say that their ethnicity neither helps nor hurts
in a job hunt.
 
The majority of both first- and second-
generation Asian Americans say their heritage
makes no difference in finding a job; the
second generation is somewhat more likely
than the first generation to say this (68%
versus 60%). More Asian Americans of both
generations say their race or country of origin
is a benefit than say it hurts.
 
Race, Ethnicity and Finding a Job
 
% in each group who say being a member of their
racial or ethnic group … in finding a job
 
Helps
 
Hurts
 
Makes no difference
 
Hispanics
 
35 23 40
 
All
 
40 22 35
 
1st generation
 
37 25 33
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans*
 
19 12 62
 
All
 
20 13 60
 
1st generation
 
17 10 68
 
2nd generation
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Don’t
know/Refused” not shown. *Asian Americans were asked the
impact of being from their country of origin on finding a job.
Some respondents from countries with small Asian
populations were asked the impact of being “Asian
American.”
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q45aa, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q46a
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
82
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Admission to Schools and Colleges:
 
First-generation Latinos are more likely than
those in the second generation to say that
being Latino helps them get into a school (42%
versus 32%).
 
But by about two-to-one, both generations are
more likely to see their ethnicity as a benefit
than a barrier (42% versus 19% for the first
generation, 32% versus 14% for the second).
Roughly one-third of first-generation (36%)
and half of second-generation Latinos say their
ethnicity does not affect school and college
admissions.
 
When it comes to admissions to schools and
colleges, roughly six-in-ten first-generation
(62%) Asian Americans and 56% in the second
generation say their heritage makes no
difference. Among the first generation, about
one-in-five (20%) say their heritage is helpful
in gaining admission, while half that share
(10%) say it hurts their chances. Second-
generation Asian Americans are about equally
likely to say their heritage helps (21%) as hurts
(17%).
 
Race, Ethnicity and School
Admissions
 
% who say being a member of their ethnic or racial
group … in gaining admission into schools and
colleges?
 
Helps
 
Hurts
 
Makes no difference
 
Hispanics
 
37 16 44
 
All
 
42 19 36
 
1st generation
 
32 14 50
 
2nd generation
 
Asian Americans*
 
20 12 61
 
All
 
20 10 62
 
1st generation
 
21 17 56
 
2nd generation
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Don’t
know/Refused” not shown. *Asian Americans were asked the
impact of being from their country of origin on finding a job.
Some respondents from countries with small Asian
populations were asked the impact of being “Asian
American.”
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q45ac, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q46c
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
83
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Personal Goals
 
Do different generations of Latinos and Asian Americans have different goals in life? To
answer that question, the surveys asked Hispanics and Asian Americans how important each
of five aspects of life are to them.35 The five items tested were “being a good parent,” “having a
successful marriage,” “owning your own home,” “being successful in a high-paying job or
career” and “living a very religious life.”
 
Priorities in Life
 
Latinos and Asian Americans both say being a
good parent is their top priority (58% for % of each group who say each is one of the most
important things in their lives
 
Hispanics and 67% for Asian Americans),
 
Hispanics
 
Asian Americans
 
General public
 
followed by having a successful marriage (39%
and 54%, respectively). Smaller shares
 
58
Being a good parent
 
67
 
consider homeownership, career success and
 
53
 
living a religious life as important goals.
 
39
successful
 
Having a
 
54
Both Hispanics and Asian Americans generally marriage
 
36
 
place the values in roughly the same rank
 
33
Owning your
 
32
own home
 
order. When compared to all adults, the
 
20
 
pattern is the same, with one exception: The
 
32
 
public places a higher value on “living a very Being successful in
 
27
 
a high-paying job
 
religious life” than job success (20% versus
 
10
 
or career
 
10%). In contrast, both Latinos and Asian
 
23
Americans rank career success higher than Living a very
 
22
religious life
 
20
 
religiosity.
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Responses of “Don’t
know/Refused” not shown.
 
Generational Patterns: Overall the survey
 
Source: 2012 National Survey of Latinos Q43a,b,c,d,g; 2012 finds few significant generational differences in Asian-American Survey Q19a,b,c,d,g. Pew Research Center
December 2011 and January 2010 surveys of general public
 
life goals.
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
In fact, no significant generational differences
emerged among Hispanics on any of the five
life goals tested in the survey.
 
But among Asian Americans, the immigrant generation places a higher priority on four of the
five items tested. On the fifth item—being a good parent—about two-thirds of both the first and
 
35 Asian Americans were also asked about two other areas: having lots of time to relax or do things you want to do and helping
other people who are in need. See the Pew Research Center report “The Rise of Asian Americans” for details.
 
 
84
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
second generations say it is one of the things they most value in their lives (66% for each).
Among Hispanics, more than half (55%) of the immigrant generation and 60% of the second
generation rate being a successful parent as highly.
 
Other findings include:
 
Having a successful marriage. As a group, Asian Americans are significantly more likely
than Hispanics to rate this as one of the most important goals in their life (54% versus 39%).
Among Asian Americans, a larger share of the first generation than the second rate a good
marriage as one of their top priorities in life (57% versus 48%). The pattern by generation
among Latinos is less clear-cut and may even be reversed: 35% of foreign-born Hispanics but
42% of the second generation say that having a successful marriage is one of the most
important things in their lives, though this difference falls just short of being statistically
significant.
 
Owning your own home. Hispanics and Asian Americans equally value homeownership;
fully 33% of Latinos and 32% of Asian Americans rate owning their own home as a top life
goal. Among Latinos there are no generational differences between the first generation (32%)
and the second (33%). However, Asian immigrants are significantly more likely than those in
the second generation to value homeownership (34% versus 25%).
 
Being successful in a high-paying job or career. About a third of Latinos (32%) but a
somewhat smaller share of Asian Americans (27%) say being successful in a well-paying job is
one of their most important goals. About equal shares of first- and second-generation Latinos
(33% and 35%, respectively) consider this a top priority. Among Asian Americans, a
significantly larger share of the foreign born than the second generation value career success or
a high-paying job as highly (29% versus 22%).
 
Living a very religious life. This life goal ranked behind each of the other four as a top life
priority for both Hispanics (23%) and Asian Americans (22%). About one-in-five first-
generation Latinos (23%) and 19% of those in the second generation say living a very religious
life is one of the most important goals in their life, a difference that is not statistically
significant. A generation gap is seen in the views of Asian immigrants and the second
generation: About a quarter (24%) of the immigrant generation but 15% of second-generation
Asian Americans place a high premium on living a religious life.
 
85
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Belief in Hard Work
 
Three-quarters of Latinos (75%) and a slightly
smaller majority of Asian Americans (69%)
agree that most people can succeed “if they’re
willing to work hard,” a belief that is as
strongly held by those in the second generation
of each group as it is in the first. In contrast,
about six-in-ten (58%) of all Americans hold
this belief, and 40% say hard work is not a
guarantee of success.
 
According to the survey, first- and second-
generation Latinos are equally likely to agree
that “most people who want to get ahead can
make it if they’re willing to work hard” (78%
both groups).
 
First- and second-generation Asian Americans
were also about equally likely to agree with this
statement (68% and 72%, respectively, did so).
 
Most Believe that Hard Work
Brings Success
 
% in each group who say …
 
Hard work and determination are no
guarantee of success for most people
 
 
Most people who want to get ahead can make
it if they're willing to work hard
 
Hispanics
 
All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
21 75
 
18 78
 
20 78
 
Asian Americans
 
All
1st generation
2nd generation
 
27 69
 
27 68
 
26 72
 
General public
 
40 58
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Volunteered responses of
“Neither/Both equally” and “Don’t know/Refused” not shown.
 
Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q52, 2012 Asian-
American Survey Q12b, Pew Research Center December
2011 survey of general public
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
86
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Social Trust
 
Trust in People
 
Majorities of Hispanics and Asian Americans
 
% in each group who say …
 
believe “you can’t be too careful in dealing
 
You can't be too careful in dealing with people
 
with people,” a view broadly shared by the two
 
Most people can be trusted
 
generations.
 
Hispanics
 
All
 
86 12
 
Hispanics as a group profess less trust in 1st generation
 
89 9
 
others than do Asian Americans (86% versus 2nd generation
 
84 13
 
56%) or Americans generally (56%).
 
Asian Americans
 
All
 
56 36
 
About nine-in-ten foreign-born Latinos agree
 
1st generation
 
that “you can’t be too careful in dealing with
 
56 35
 
2nd generation
 
people,” a sentiment shared by 84% of the
second generation.
 
56 37
 
General public
 
56 40
 
Notes: Based on all adults. Volunteered responses of Identical proportions of first- and second-“Other/Depends” and “Don’t know/Refused” not shown.
 
generation Asian Americans believe you can’t Source: 2011 National Survey of Latinos Q51, 2012 Asian-
 
American Survey Q20, Pew Research Center January 2012 be too careful in dealing with others (56%). survey of general public
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Main Reason for Coming to U.S.
 
Immigrants give a variety of reasons for coming to the United States. Overall 56% of first-
generation Hispanics say that economic opportunities are the main reason they immigrated.
That is more than double the share that came for family reasons (23%), the second-most
frequently cited motivation of the five offered. Smaller shares of Latinos say they came
primarily for educational opportunities (9%), to escape conflicts or persecution in their home
country (5%) or for some other reason (6%).
 
Among first-generation Asian Americans, about three-in-ten (31%) say they came to the U.S.
for family reasons. About as many (28%) cite educational opportunities as the major factor,
and about one-in-five (21%) say they immigrated to seek economic opportunities. In addition,
9% of Asian immigrants say they relocated to the U.S. to avoid conflict or persecution in their
home country, and 9% give some other reason for coming here.
 
Regardless of the reason, roughly equal size majorities of Latino (79%) and Asian-American
immigrants (76%) say that if they had to decide again whether to come to the United States,
they would come again.
 
 
87
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
APPENDIX 1: DETAILED DEMOGRAPHIC TABLES
 
Characteristics by Immigrant Generation, 2012
% of population (unless otherwise noted)
U.S. born by
generation
U.S.
Foreign
born
(1st gen.) U.S. born 2nd
3rd and
higher
Younger than 18 24 7 27 45 24
18-29 17 17 16 19 16
30-39 13 22 11 9 12
40-49 14 21 13 7 14
50-64 20 22 19 8 21
65 and older 13 12 14 12 14
Age groups
Younger than 18 20 5 21 23 21
18-29 15 13 15 12 15
30-39 12 16 12 9 12
40-49 14 19 14 10 14
50-64 22 25 22 17 23
65 and older 17 23 17 30 16
Younger than 18 27 9 29 56 27
18-29 18 18 19 25 18
30-39 13 21 12 7 12
40-49 14 19 13 6 14
50-64 18 23 18 3 18
65 and older 10 10 10 2 10
Younger than 18 34 6 49 57 42
18-29 20 19 21 23 19
30-39 15 25 10 9 11
40-49 13 22 8 5 11
50-64 12 19 8 3 12
65 and older 6 8 4 3 6
 
Total population (in thousands)
Median age (in years)
Age groups
308,827
37
39,976
42
268,851
35
35,734
20
233,117
38
 
White population (in thousands) 195,148 8,033 187,115 11,583 175,532
Median age (in years) 42 48 42 47 41
 
Black population (in thousands)
Median age (in years)
Age groups
37,104
33
3,111
41
33,993
31
1,966
15
32,027
33
 
Hispanic population (in thousands)
Median age (in years)
Age groups
52,358
27
18,697
39
33,661
18
16,249
15
17,413
22
 
Asian population (in thousands)
Median age (in years)
Age groups
16,094
35
9,908
42
6,186
19
4,863
17
1,323
29
 
Younger than 18 23 8 47 51 33
18-29 18 16 22 23 17
30-39 17 20 11 11 12
40-49 15 21 6 5 12
50-64 17 23 8 6 18
65 and older 10 13 5 4 8
 
Notes: White, black and Asian include single race only. Asians include Hispanics; all other races include non-Hispanics only. Data
values for other races not shown.
 
Source: Pew Research Center tabulations of March 2012 Current Population Survey, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
88
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Characteristics of Adults by Immigrant Generation, 2012
 
% of adults ages 18 and older (unless otherwise noted)
 
U.S. born by
generation
Foreign
born 3rd and
All U.S. (1st gen.) U.S. born 2nd higher
 
Total adults (in thousands) 234,719 37,364 197,355 19,679 177,676
Gender
 
Male 48 49 48 50 48
Female 52 51 52 50 52
 
Median age (in years) 46 43 47 38 47
Age groups
 
18-29 22 18 22 35 21
30-39 17 23 16 17 15
40-49 18 22 17 12 18
50-64 26 23 26 15 27
65 and older 18 13 19 21 18
 
Race and ethnicity1
 
White 66 20 75 46 78
Black 11 8 12 4 13
Hispanic 15 47 9 35 6
Asian 5 25 2 12 *
Other 2 1 2 3 2
 
Total households (in thousands)
Average household size (persons)
Marital status
120,975
2.5
17,104
3.1
103,872
2.4
9,311
2.4
94,560
2.4
 
Married 54 63 52 42 53
Never married 28 22 29 40 27
Divorced/Separated/Widowed 19 15 20 18 20
 
Living with unmarried partner2 7 5 7 7 8
Intermarriage rate3
Spouse of different race or ethnicity 8 8 8 17 7
Spouse of different nativity 7 20 4 17 3
Multigenerational households4
% of total 18 24 17 22 16
Households with dependent children5
% of total 31 45 29 28 29
Fertility (women ages 15-44)6
Women who had a birth in the past 12 months 7 9 6 6 6
Of these, % unmarried 36 23 40 41 40
Continued on next page
 
 
89
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Characteristics of Adults by Immigrant Generation, 2012 (Cont.)
 
% of adults ages 18 and older (unless otherwise noted)
 
U.S. born by
generation
Foreign
born 3rd and
All U.S. (1st gen.) U.S. born 2nd higher
Educational attainment (ages 25+)
Less than high school diploma 12 28 9 10 9
High school diploma or equivalent 30 26 31 27 32
Some college 26 16 28 27 28
Bachelor's degree or more 31 29 31 36 31
 
High school dropout rate (ages 18-24)7 8 18 7 7 7
Household annual income (in dollars)8
Median for three-person household $58,200 $45,800 $60,600 $58,100 $60,600
Homeownership (among householders) 65 51 68 64 68
Adults in poverty
All adults 13 18 12 11 12
18-64 14 18 13 13 13
65 and older 9 16 8 6 8
 
Adults without health insurance 18 34 15 19 14
Employment status
 
In labor force 65 68 65 62 65
Unemployment rate9 8.3 8.6 8.3 9.3 8.1
Industries10
Construction, agriculture and mining 9 12 8 7 8
Manufacturing 10 12 10 8 10
Trade and transportation 18 17 19 20 18
Information, finance and other services 62 59 63 66 63
Occupations10
Management, professional and related 39 31 41 40 41
Services 16 23 14 14 14
Sales and office support 24 17 25 28 25
Construction, extraction and farming 6 10 5 5 5
Maintenance, production, transportation and
material moving 16 19 15 13 15
Region of residence
Northeast 18 22 18 23 17
Midwest 21 11 23 13 25
South 37 32 38 27 39
West 23 36 21 37 19
Voting11
Eligible to vote 92 47 100 100 100
Turnout rate among eligible voters 46 37 46 43 47
 
Notes: The symbol * indicates a value less than 0.5 but higher than zero. 1White, black, and Asian include single race only. Asians
include Hispanics; all other races include non-Hispanics only. 2Includes people who are married and not living with spouse, people
who are separated, divorced or widowed and those who have never married. 3Based on people who are married and whose
spouse is living in the same household. 4Consists of households with two or more adult generations (or a grandchild and
grandparent) living together. 5Dependent children are either under 18 years or are economically dependent (see Methodology).
6Based on the June 2004-2010 Fertility Supplement of the Current Population Survey. Unmarried includes those who were never
married or are divorced, separated or widowed. 7Share of persons 18-24 who have less than a high school diploma who are
currently not enrolled in school. 8Median household income adjusted by number of persons living in the household. 9Share of
persons who are currently unemployed based on those who are in the labor force. 10Armed forces not shown. 11Based on the
November 2010 Voting and Registration Supplement of the Current Population Survey.
 
Source: Pew Research Center tabulations of March 2012 Current Population Survey, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
90
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Characteristics of Hispanic Adults by Immigrant Generation, 2012
 
% of adults ages 18 and older (unless otherwise noted)
 
U.S. born by
generation
Foreign
All born 3rd and
Hispanics (1st gen.) U.S. born 2nd higher
 
Total adults (in thousands) 34,680 17,536 17,143 6,968 10,176
Gender
 
Male 50 52 49 51 47
Female 50 48 51 49 53
 
Median age (in years) 38 41 34 28 39
Age groups
 
18-29 31 21 41 53 32
30-39 23 26 20 21 20
40-49 20 24 15 12 18
50-64 18 20 15 8 20
65 and older 9 9 8 6 10
 
Total households (in thousands)
Average household size (persons)
Marital status
14,869
3.2
7,546
3.5
7,323
2.9
2,644
3.1
4,679
2.8
 
Married 49 60 38 34 41
Never married 35 25 46 54 40
Divorced/Separated/Widowed 16 15 16 12 19
 
Living with unmarried partner1 8 7 9 9 10
Intermarriage rate2
Spouse of different race or ethnicity 16 7 29 27 31
Spouse of different nativity 18 17 19 33 12
Multigenerational households3
% of total 26 26 27 30 25
Households with dependent children4
% of total 49 54 43 46 41
Fertility (women ages 15-44)5
Women who had a birth in the past 12 months 8 9 7 7 7
Of these, % unmarried 39 29 50 52 49
Continued on next page
 
 
 
 
91
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Characteristics of Hispanic Adults by Immigrant Generation, 2012 (Cont.)
 
% of adults ages 18 and older (unless otherwise noted)
 
U.S. born by
generation
Foreign
 
All born 3rd and
Hispanics (1st gen.) U.S. born 2nd higher
Educational attainment (ages 25+)
Less than high school diploma 35 47 19 17 21
High school diploma or equivalent 30 28 32 30 34
Some college 20 13 29 31 28
Bachelor's degree or more 15 11 19 21 17
 
High school dropout rate (ages 18-24)6 16 30 11 9 14
Household annual income (in dollars)7
Median for three-person household $39,200 $34,600 $45,000 $48,400 $43,600
Homeownership (among householders) 46 43 49 50 49
Adults in poverty
All adults 21 23 18 16 20
18-64 21 23 19 16 20
65 and older 19 22 15 10 17
 
Adults without health insurance 38 49 27 32 23
Employment status
In labor force 69 71 67 69 66
Unemployment rate8 10.5 9.5 11.5 11.7 11.3
Industries9
Construction, agriculture and mining 14 19 8 8 8
Manufacturing 10 13 8 8 8
Trade and transportation 19 16 22 24 21
Information, finance and other services 57 53 62 61 63
Occupations9
Management, professional and related 21 14 29 27 30
Services 25 30 19 17 20
Sales and office support 22 14 30 33 28
Construction, extraction and farming 12 18 6 7 6
Maintenance, production, transportation and
material moving 20 24 16 16 16
Region of residence
Northeast 15 14 15 11 19
Midwest 8 9 8 7 8
South 36 37 34 31 37
West 41 40 43 51 37
Voting10
Eligible 66 34 100 100 100
Turnout rate among eligible voters 31 37 29 28 30
 
Notes: Hispanics are of any race. 1Includes people who are married and not living with spouse, people who are separated,
divorced or widowed and those who have never married. 2Based on people who are married and whose spouse is living in the
same household. 3Consists of households with two or more adult generations (or a grandchild and grandparent) living together.
4Dependent children are either under 18 years or are economically dependent (see Methodology). 5Based on the June 2004-2010
Fertility Supplement of the Current Population Survey. Unmarried includes those who were never married or are divorced,
separated or widowed. 6Share of persons 18-24 who have less than a high school diploma who are currently not enrolled in
school. 7Median household income adjusted by number of persons living in the household. 8Share of persons who are currently
unemployed based on those who are in the labor force. 9Armed forces not shown. 10Based on the November 2010 Voting and
Registration Supplement of the Current Population Survey.
 
Source: Pew Research Center tabulations of March 2012 Current Population Survey, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
 
 
92
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Characteristics of Asian Adults by Immigrant Generation, 2012
 
% of adults ages 18 and older (unless otherwise noted)
 
U.S. born by
generation
Foreign
born 3rd and
All Asians (1st gen.) U.S. born 2nd higher
Total adults (in thousands) 12,429 9,162 3,266 2,384 882
Gender
Male 47 46 49 50 48
Female 53 54 51 50 52
 
Median age (in years) 42 44 33 30 43
Age groups
 
18-29 23 17 42 48 26
30-39 22 22 22 23 18
40-49 20 22 12 10 18
50-64 22 25 16 11 27
65 and older 13 14 9 8 12
 
Total households (in thousands)
Average household size (persons)
Marital status
5,363
2.9
4,070
3.1
1,293
2.6
893
2.6
400
2.7
 
Married 64 72 42 37 56
Never married 27 19 50 56 35
Divorced/Separated/Widowed 9 10 8 7 10
 
Living with unmarried partner1 4 3 6 7 5
Intermarriage rate2
Spouse of different race or ethnicity 12 10 26 24 30
Spouse of different nativity 13 12 19 22 14
Multigenerational households3
% of total 27 27 28 29 23
Households with dependent children4
% of total 39 43 27 26 31
Fertility (women ages 15-44)5
Women who had a birth in the past 12 months 7 8 4 4 5
Of these, % unmarried 16 10 *** *** ***
Continued on next page
 
 
 
 
93
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Characteristics of Asian Adults by Immigrant Generation, 2012 (Cont.)
 
% of adults ages 18 and older (unless otherwise noted)
 
U.S. born by
generation
Foreign
born 3rd and
All Asians (1st gen.) U.S. born 2nd higher
Educational attainment (ages 25+)
Less than high school diploma 11 12 7 7 5
High school diploma or equivalent 21 22 16 16 19
Some college 17 16 23 22 23
Bachelor's degree or more 51 50 54 55 53
 
High school dropout rate (ages 18-24)6 3 4 3 3 2
Household annual income (in dollars)7
Median for three-person household $67,400 $65,200 $74,200 $67,500 $91,600
Homeownership (among householders) 57 58 56 51 65
Adults in poverty
All adults 12 12 11 12 8
18-64 12 12 12 13 9
65 and older 12 13 5 7 1
 
Adults without health insurance 19 20 17 19 10
Employment status
 
In labor force 65 65 65 63 70
Unemployment rate8 6.5 6.4 6.6 7.2 5.2
Industries9
Construction, agriculture and mining 3 3 3 2 4
Manufacturing 12 14 8 9 6
Trade and transportation 17 17 17 18 16
Information, finance and other services 68 67 72 71 73
Occupations9
Management, professional and related 48 47 50 49 54
Services 17 18 13 12 13
Sales and office support 21 20 26 27 23
Construction, extraction and farming 2 2 2 2 3
Maintenance, production, transportation and
material moving 12 13 9 10 6
Region of residence
Northeast 21 22 18 21 11
Midwest 11 12 10 11 9
South 22 24 17 19 13
West 45 42 54 49 67
Voting10
Eligible 69 59 100 100 100
Turnout rate among eligible voters 31 31 31 27 41
 
Notes: Asian includes single race only and Hispanics. The symbol *** indicates insufficient number of observations to provide a
reliable estimate. 1Includes people who are married and not living with spouse, people who are separated, divorced or widowed
and those who have never married. 2Based on people who are married and whose spouse is living in the same household.
3Consists of households with two or more adult generations (or a grandchild and grandparent) living together. 4Dependent
children are either under 18 years or are economically dependent (see Methodology). 5Based on the June 2004-2010 Fertility
Supplement of the Current Population Survey. Unmarried includes those who were never married or are divorced, separated or
widowed. 6Share of persons 18-24 who have less than a high school diploma who are currently not enrolled in school. 7Median
household income adjusted by number of persons living in the household. 8Share of persons who are currently unemployed based
on those who are in the labor force. 9Armed forces not shown. 10Based on the November 2010 Voting and Registration
Supplement of the Current Population Survey.
 
Source: Pew Research Center tabulations of March 2012 Current Population Survey, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
 
 
94
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Characteristics of Black Adults by Immigrant Generation, 2012
 
% of adults ages 18 and older (unless otherwise noted)
 
U.S. born by
generation
Foreign
born 3rd and
All blacks (1st gen.) U.S. born 2nd higher
 
Total adults (in thousands) 26,914 2,832 24,082 860 23,222
Gender
 
Male 45 48 45 48 44
Female 55 52 55 52 56
 
Median age (in years) 43 43 43 27 44
Age groups
 
18-29 25 20 26 57 25
30-39 18 23 17 16 17
40-49 19 21 19 15 19
50-64 25 26 25 8 25
65 and older 13 11 14 5 14
 
Total households (in thousands)
Average household size (persons)
Marital status
14,857
2.4
1,447
2.8
13,409
2.4
343
2.4
13,066
2.4
 
Married 34 48 32 20 32
Never married 43 33 45 69 44
Divorced/Separated/Widowed 23 19 24 11 24
 
Living with unmarried partner1 7 5 7 4 7
Intermarriage rate2
Spouse of different race or ethnicity 9 9 9 30 9
Spouse of different nativity 6 20 4 23 3
Multigenerational households3
% of total 26 26 26 34 26
Households with dependent children4
% of total 33 39 32 38 32
Fertility (women ages 15-44)5
Women who had a birth in the past 12 months 7 9 7 6 7
Of these, % unmarried 67 *** 72 *** 73
Continued on next page
 
 
 
 
95
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Characteristics of Black Adults by Immigrant Generation, 2012 (Cont.)
 
% of adults ages 18 and older (unless otherwise noted)
 
U.S. born by
generation
Foreign
born 3rd and
All blacks (1st gen.) U.S. born 2nd higher
Educational attainment (ages 25+)
Less than high school diploma 14 14 14 5 15
High school diploma or equivalent 34 31 35 24 35
Some college 30 24 31 31 31
Bachelor's degree or more 21 31 20 40 20
 
High school dropout rate (ages 18-24)6 8 6 8 4 9
Household annual income (in dollars)7
Median for three-person household $39,000 $46,500 $37,900 $43,500 $37,600
Homeownership (among householders) 44 42 44 32 45
Adults in poverty
All adults 23 21 23 14 24
18-64 24 21 24 15 25
65 and older 17 20 17 *** 17
 
Adults without health insurance 23 28 22 23 22
Employment status
In labor force 63 72 62 66 62
Unemployment rate8 14.4 11.6 14.8 15.7 14.8
Industries9
Construction, agriculture and mining 4 3 5 3 5
Manufacturing 8 5 9 7 9
Trade and transportation 19 21 19 19 19
Information, finance and other services 68 71 68 72 67
 
Occupations9
Management, professional and related 34 44 33 41 32
Services 21 18 21 21 21
Sales and office support 24 20 25 24 25
Construction, extraction and farming 4 2 4 2 4
Maintenance, production, transportation and
material moving 17 16 17 12 18
Region of residence
Northeast 16 42 13 38 12
Midwest 18 9 19 7 19
South 57 42 59 46 60
West 9 7 9 9 9
Voting10
Eligible 94 53 100 100 100
Turnout rate among eligible voters 44 42 44 41 44
 
Notes: Blacks include single race non-Hispanics only. The symbol *** indicates insufficient number of observations to provide a
reliable estimate. 1Includes people who are married and not living with spouse, people who are separated, divorced or widowed
and those who have never married. 2Based on people who are married and whose spouse is living in the same household.
3Consists of households with two or more adult generations (or a grandchild and grandparent) living together. 4Dependent
children are either under 18 years or are economically dependent (see Methodology). 5Based on the June 2004-2010 Fertility
Supplement of the Current Population Survey. Unmarried includes those who were never married or are divorced, separated or
widowed. 6Share of persons 18-24 who have less than a high school diploma who are currently not enrolled in school. 7Median
household income adjusted by number of persons living in the household. 8Share of persons who are currently unemployed based
on those who are in the labor force. 9Armed forces not shown. 10Based on the November 2010 Voting and Registration
Supplement of the Current Population Survey.
 
Source: Pew Research Center tabulations of March 2012 Current Population Survey, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
 
 
96
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Characteristics of White Adults by Immigrant Generation, 2012
 
% of adults ages 18 and older (unless otherwise noted)
 
U.S. born by
generation
Foreign
born 3rd and
All whites (1st gen.) U.S. born 2nd higher
 
Total adults (in thousands) 156,005 7,620 148,385 8,967 139,418
Gender
 
Male 49 47 49 48 49
Female 51 53 51 52 51
 
Median age (in years) 49 49 49 57 49
Age groups
 
18-29 19 13 19 15 19
30-39 15 17 15 11 15
40-49 17 20 17 13 18
50-64 28 26 28 22 29
65 and older 21 24 21 39 20
 
Total households (in thousands)
Average household size (persons)
Marital status
83,571
2.3
3,947
2.5
79,624
2.3
5,180
2.1
74,444
2.4
 
Married 58 65 57 52 57
Never married 23 16 23 21 23
Divorced/Separated/Widowed 20 18 20 26 19
 
Living with unmarried partner1 7 4 7 5 7
Intermarriage rate2
Spouse of different race or ethnicity 5 6 5 6 5
Spouse of different nativity 5 35 3 8 3
Multigenerational households3
% of total 14 16 13 14 13
Households with dependent children4
% of total 27 29 27 19 28
Fertility (women ages 15-44)5
Women who had a birth in the past 12 months 6 8 6 6 6
Of these, % unmarried 29 13 30 19 30
Continued on next page
 
 
 
 
97
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Characteristics of White Adults by Immigrant Generation, 2012 (Cont.)
 
% of adults ages 18 and older (unless otherwise noted)
 
U.S. born by
generation
Foreign
born 3rd and
All whites (1st gen.) U.S. born 2nd higher
Educational attainment (ages 25+)
Less than high school diploma 8 11 7 7 7
High school diploma or equivalent 31 26 31 28 31
Some college 27 20 28 26 28
Bachelor's degree or more 34 44 34 39 34
 
High school dropout rate (ages 18-24)6 6 8 6 5 6
Household annual income (in dollars)7
Median for three-person household $65,800 $60,600 $65,900 $63,200 $66,100
Homeownership (among householders) 73 64 74 76 74
Adults in poverty
All adults 9 12 9 7 9
18-64 10 13 10 8 10
65 and older 7 12 6 5 7
 
Adults without health insurance 12 18 12 9 12
Employment status
 
In labor force 65 61 65 54 66
Unemployment rate8 6.8 7.7 6.7 6.6 6.7
Industries9
Construction, agriculture and mining 9 9 9 7 9
Manufacturing 11 11 11 8 11
Trade and transportation 18 17 18 17 18
Information, finance and other services 62 63 62 68 62
Occupations9
Management, professional and related 43 47 43 49 43
Services 12 15 12 12 12
Sales and office support 24 20 24 25 24
Construction, extraction and farming 5 6 5 4 6
Maintenance, production, transportation and
material moving 15 13 15 10 15
Region of residence
Northeast 19 29 19 33 18
Midwest 26 16 26 18 27
South 35 26 36 24 36
West 20 29 19 25 19
Voting10
Eligible 98 62 100 100 100
Turnout rate among eligible voters 49 42 49 57 48
 
Notes: Whites include single race non-Hispanics only. 1Includes people who are married and not living with spouse, people who
are separated, divorced or widowed and those who have never married. 2Based on people who are married and whose spouse is
living in the same household. 3Consists of households with two or more adult generations (or a grandchild and grandparent) living
together. 4Dependent children are either under 18 years or are economically dependent (see Methodology). 5Based on the June
2004-2010 Fertility Supplement of the Current Population Survey. Unmarried includes those who were never married or are
divorced, separated or widowed. 6Share of persons 18-24 who have less than a high school diploma who are currently not
enrolled in school. 7Median household income adjusted by number of persons living in the household. 8Share of persons who are
currently unemployed based on those who are in the labor force. 9Armed forces not shown. 10Based on the November 2010 Voting
and Registration Supplement of the Current Population Survey.
 
Source: Pew Research Center tabulations of March 2012 Current Population Survey, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) files
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
 
 
 
98
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
APPENDIX 2: METHODOLOGY
 
DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS DATA SOURCES
 
The demographic data in this report are derived from the Current Population Survey, which
covers the civilian, noninstitutional population. Unless otherwise noted, all data come from the
CPS Annual Social and Economic Supplements (ASEC) conducted in March of every year.
Unless otherwise noted, the specific files used in this report are from March 2012, the latest
year for which ASEC data are available. Conducted jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CPS is a monthly survey of approximately 55,000 households
and is the source of the nation’s official statistics on unemployment. The ASEC survey in
March features a larger sample size as well as an expanded set of detailed questions, and it
provides an update of the nation’s social and economic portrait each year. Data on income and
poverty from the ASEC survey serves as the basis for the well-known Census Bureau report on
income, poverty and health insurance in the United States (DeNavas-Walt, Proctor and Smith,
2011). The ASEC surveys also collect data on the income of a household in the preceding
calendar year. Thus, the 2012 file used in this report contains data on income from 2011.
 
Data on voting and turnout come from the November 2010 Voting and Registration
Supplement of the CPS. Data on fertility, as stated below, come from multiple years of a June
supplement to the CPS.
 
The CPS microdata used in this report are the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS)
provided by the University of Minnesota. The IPUMS assigns uniform codes, to the extent
possible, to data collected in the CPS over the years. More information about the IPUMS,
including variable definition and sampling error, is available at
http://cps.ipums.org/cps/documentation.shtml.
 
Intermarriage Rates
 
Intermarriage rates in this report were estimated for all married adults living with their
spouse, whose marital status in the survey data is “married, spouse present.” The unit of
analysis in this section of the report is married adults. The IPUMS database includes linkages
of spouse records and supplies “attached variables” that place the value for the spouse’s
variable on each record. Thus, the first step of analysis was to attach the race, ethnicity and
nativity of the spouse to the individual’s record. The second step was to generate variables for
the race and ethnic origin of the individual and his or her spouse. Seven different groups were
constructed for estimating intermarriage rates: Hispanic and six non-Hispanic racial groups—
 
 
 
 
99
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
white alone, black alone, Asian alone, American Indian and Alaska Native alone, Native
Hawaiian and Pacific Islander alone, and more than one race. This report includes two
different intermarriage rates—race-ethnicity and nativity. For race-ethnicity, the intermarriage
rate is the number of people married to a spouse of a different race-ethnic group divided by the
number of married people. For nativity, the intermarriage rate is the number of natives with
foreign-born spouses (and immigrants with native spouses) divided by the total married
population.
 
Dependent Children
 
Dependent children refers to children of the household head who are younger than 18, or ages
 
18-24 and economically dependent. Economic dependency was established as follows:
 
.
18-21 and enrolled in high school full time
 
.
18-24 and enrolled in college full time with part-time job
 
.
18-24 and enrolled in high school or college part time with part-time job and income
 
less than 50% of the individual poverty level
 
.
18-24 with part-time job and income less than 50% of the individual poverty level
 
.
18-24 with full-time job and no income
 
Income
 
Household income is the sum of incomes earned by all members of the household in the
calendar year preceding the date of the survey. The CPS collects data on money income
received (exclusive of certain money receipts, such as capital gains) before payments for such
things as personal income taxes, Social Security, union dues and Medicare deductions. Noncash
transfers, such as food stamps, health benefits, subsidized housing and energy assistance,
are not included. The Census Bureau also states that “… there is a tendency in household
surveys for respondents to under report their income. From an analysis of independently
derived income estimates, it has been determined that wages and salaries tend to be much
better reported than such income types as public assistance, Social Security, and net income
from interest, dividends, rents, etc.” More detail on the definition of income in the CPS is
available in the documentation of the data
(http://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar11.pdf). It should be noted that income
data in the CPS public-use microdata files are top coded to prevent the identification of a few
individuals who might report very high levels of income.
 
 
 
 
100
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Adjusting Income for Household Size
 
Household income data reported in this study are adjusted for the number of people in a
household. That is done because a four-person household with an income of, say, $50,000
faces a tighter budget constraint than a two-person household with the same income. In
addition to comparisons across households at a given point in time, this adjustment is useful
for measuring changes in the income of households over time. That is because average
household size in the United States has decreased from 3.2 persons in 1970 to 2.5 persons in
2010, a drop of about 20%. Ignoring this demographic change would mean ignoring a
commensurate loosening of the household budget constraint.
 
At its simplest, adjusting for household size could mean converting household income into per
capita income. Thus, a two-person household with an income of $50,000 would have a per
capita income of $25,000, double the per capita income of a four-person household with the
same total income.
 
A more sophisticated framework for household size adjustment recognizes that there are
economies of scale in consumer expenditures. For example, a two-bedroom apartment may not
cost twice as much to rent as a one-bedroom apartment. Two household members could
carpool to work for the same cost as a single household member, and so on. For that reason,
most researchers make adjustments for household size using the method of “equivalence
scales” (Garner, Ruiz-Castillo and Sastre, 2003, and Short, Garner, Johnson and Doyle, 1999).
 
A common equivalence-scale adjustment is defined as follows:
 
Adjusted household income = Household income / (Household size)N
 
By this method, household income is divided by household size exponentiated by “N,” where N
is a number between 0 and 1.
 
Note that if N = 0, the denominator equals 1. In that case, no adjustment is made for
household size. If N = 1, the denominator equals household size, and that is the same as
converting household income into per capita income. The usual approach is to let N be some
number between 0 and 1. Following other researchers, this study uses N = 0.5 (for example,
see Johnson, Smeeding and Torrey, 2005). In practical terms, this means that household
 
 
 
 
101
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
income is divided by the square root of household size—1.41 for a two-person household, 1.73
for a three-person household, 2.00 for a four-person household, and so on.36
 
Once household incomes have been converted to a “uniform” household size, they can be
scaled to reflect any household size. The income data reported in this study are computed for
three-person households, the closest whole number to the average size of a U.S. household
since 1970. That is done as follows:
 
Three-person household income = Adjusted household income * [(3)0.5]
 
As discussed in the main body of the report, adjusting for household size has an effect on
trends in income since 1970. However, it is important to note that once the adjustment has
been made, it is immaterial whether one scales incomes to one-, two-, three- or four-person
households. Regardless of the choice of household size, the same results would emerge with
respect to the trends in the well-being of lower-, middle- and upper-income groups.
 
Fertility
 
Fertility data are derived from the June supplement of the CPS, which includes fertility
information from female respondents ages 15 to 44. Any woman who gave birth from the prior
June through the month of May preceding the survey is included, and the mother’s
characteristics are based upon the information provided at the time of the survey.
 
In order to increase sample size, the analyses are based upon an aggregation of 2004, 2006,
2008 and 2010 data (the June supplement is administered only in even-numbered years).
Even with the data aggregation, cell sizes were too small to estimate the share of women who
were unmarried when they gave birth for first- and second-generation black women, and for
second-generation Asian-American women.
 
All variables are based upon the characteristics of the mother, not of the father or the baby. A
mother is described as married if she is either married or separated at the time of the survey.
Otherwise she is considered unmarried.
 
36 One issue with adjusting for household size is that while demographic data on household composition pertain to the survey
date, income data typically pertain to the preceding year. Because household composition can change over time, for example,
through marriage, divorce or death, the household size that is measured at the survey date may not be the same as that at the
time the income was earned and spent (Debels and Vandecasteele, 2008).
 
 
 
 
102
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
The nation’s official birth data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) include a
record for each baby born, while the CPS data account for each mother giving birth. Given that
approximately 3% of live births include multiples (twins, triplets, etc.), the CPS slightly
undercounts the number of babies born. In NCHS data, marital status refers to the mother’s
marital status at the time of the birth.
 
Multi-Generational Households
 
Estimates of multi-generational households are based on definitions similar to those in
previous Pew Research Center reports about such households, including Kochhar and Cohn
(2011).
 
Voting Eligibility and Behavior
 
Electoral data are derived from the November 2010 Voting and Registration Supplement of the
CPS, which includes questions regarding voting registration and voting behavior in past
elections. Voting eligibility is based on adulthood (age 18 or older) and citizenship.
 
Population Projections
 
Data presented in this report on projected populations through 2050 are consistent with
projections published in Passel and Cohn (2008). These projections include subdivisions of the
population by race-Hispanic origin and generation.
 
Historical Data on Generations
 
The information required to define the first, second and third generations—nativity,
citizenship, and country of birth of parents—was not collected consistently in our primary
sources of historical demographic data, the U.S. censuses. The questions on country of birth of
parents were dropped from the census beginning in 1980, and citizenship information has
been inconsistently collected in 20th-century censuses. Moreover, the information across
censuses has not always been consistent with trends in immigration or other censuses. To fill
this gap, Passel and Cohn (2008) presented historical reconstructions of race-generation data
for 1960-2000 based on the population projection methodology used for 2005-2050.
Edmonston and Passel (1994) used similar methods to trace the generational composition of
 
 
 
 
103
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
race-Hispanic groups back to 1900. These two historical reconstructions are the basis for
trends in generational composition presented in this report for 1900-2000.
 
Historical Data on Immigration Waves
 
During the first two waves of immigration described here, 1840-1889 and 1890-1919, virtually
all immigrants who arrived in the United States did so legally and were processed and counted
by immigration authorities. Historical data on legal immigrants arriving are presented
annually in the Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, released by the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS). Table 2 of the Yearbook shows immigrants arriving by country or region of
birth for each decade from 1820 to the present and is the source for our information.
 
For the most recent wave of immigration from 1965 to the present, data on legal admissions
are insufficient because a significant amount of immigration has been unauthorized and
because the official data count immigrants when they are admitted legally, not when they
arrive. Data from decennial censuses since 1980 and from the American Community Survey
(ACS) include most of the unauthorized immigrants and, thus, provides a better count of the
total number of immigrants. Because many immigrants come to the U.S. and subsequently
leave (or die), the best census or survey estimating the number of arriving immigrants during a
period is one close to that period; for example, using the 2011 ACS to estimate the number of
immigrants who arrived during the 1970s would seriously understate the number of
immigrants. Accordingly, the estimates presented in this report use a number of sources to
estimate the magnitude of immigration. For 1965-1980, the counts of immigrants come from
the foreign-born population enumerated in the 1980 Census who reported arriving in 1965 or
later; for 1980-1990, estimates come from the 1990 Census; and for 1990-1999, the estimates
come from the 2000 Census. Tabulations used in this report come from the 5% IPUMS
samples of these three decennial censuses. After 2000, the ACS is the source for this
information. For immigrants arriving in 2000-2004, estimates come from the 2005 and 2006
ACS. For 2005-2010, the estimates for each individual year come from the next year’s ACS—
e.g., the estimate for 2007 comes from the 2008 ACS. Weights for the 2005-2009 ACS were
modified to be consistent with results from the 2000 and 2010 Censuses (see Passel and Cohn
2012 for an explanation).
 
SURVEY DATA SOURCES
 
Survey data in this report are based on Pew Research Center surveys. Survey data for
Hispanics come from one of two sources: the 2012 or the 2011 National Survey of Latinos.
 
 
 
 
104
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Survey data for Asian Americans come from the 2012 Asian-American Survey. Survey data for
the U.S. general public come from a variety of sources; these are listed in the topline results in
Appendix 3.
 
Differences between groups or subgroups, such as first- and second-generation Hispanics or
first- and second-generation Asian Americans, are described in this report only when the
relationship is statistically significant and therefore unlikely to occur by chance. Statistical
tests of significance take into account the complex sampling design used for the surveys and
the effect of weighting.
 
Survey Data: Hispanics
 
Data from two nationally representative surveys of Hispanics are included in this report.
 
.
The 2012 National Survey of Latinos was conducted with a nationally representative
 
sample of 1,765 Hispanic adults ages 18 and older living in the United States. The
 
survey was conducted Sept. 7-Oct. 4, 2012, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
 
.
The 2011 National Survey of Latinos was conducted with a nationally representative
 
sample of 1,220 Hispanic adults ages 18 and older living in the United States. The
 
survey was conducted Nov. 9-Dec. 7, 2011, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
 
Both surveys were conducted in both English and Spanish on cellular as well landline
telephones. Interviews were conducted for the Pew Hispanic Center by Social Science Research
Solutions (SSRS). The 2012 survey also included an oversample of non-Catholic Hispanics; the
results are weighted to account for this oversampling.
 
For more details on the 2012 National Survey of Latinos see Appendix B in “Latino Voters
Support Obama by 3-1 Ratio, But Are Less Certain than Others about Voting.” For more details
on the 2011 National Survey of Latinos methodology see Appendix A in “When Labels Don’t
Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity,” April 4, 2012.
 
Survey Data: Asian Americans
 
The Pew Research Center’s 2012 Asian-American Survey is based on telephone interviews
conducted by landline and cell phone with a nationally representative sample of 3,511 Asian
adults ages 18 and older living in the United States. The survey was conducted Jan. 3-March
27, 2012, in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, and the District of Columbia. The
survey was conducted using a probability sample from multiple sources. The data are weighted
to produce a final sample that is representative of Asian adults in the United States. Survey
 
 
 
 
105
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
interviews were conducted under the direction of Abt SRBI, in English and Cantonese, Hindi,
Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
 
Respondents who identified as “Asian or Asian American, such as Chinese, Filipino, Indian,
Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese” were eligible to complete the survey interview, including
those who identified with more than one race and regardless of Hispanic ethnicity. The
question on racial identity also offered the following categories: white, black or African
American, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.
 
U.S. Asian groups, subgroups, heritage groups and country-of-origin groups are used
interchangeably in this report to reference respondents’ self-classification into “specific Asian
groups.” This self-identification may or may not match respondents’ country of birth or their
parents’ country of birth. Self-classification is based on responses to an open-ended question
asking for a respondent’s “specific Asian group.” Asian groups named in this open-ended
question were “Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, or of some other
Asian background.” Respondents self-identified with more than 22 specific Asian groups.
Those who identified with more than one Asian group were classified based on the group with
which “they identify most.” Many questions on the survey used question wording customized
to match the respondent’s self-identification into country-of-origin groups. See the topline in
Appendix 3 for details on question wording.
For more details on the methodology, see Appendix 1: Survey Methodology in the “The Rise of
Asian Americans.”
 
Survey Data: General Public
 
Figures for the U.S. general public are based on nationally representative surveys of
respondents of any race. See the topline in Appendix 3 for the survey source on a specific
question. Details on the methodology of each survey are available at .
 
Comparisons between the U.S. general public and Hispanics may understate or overstate the
magnitude of differences between U.S. Hispanics and Americans who are not Hispanic, due to
the fact that Hispanics are also part of the general public to which the comparison is made. The
same is true of comparisons between Asian Americans and Americans who are not Asian and
of any other subgroup of the U.S. general public. The maximum possible size of such an effect
would be equal to the size of the subgroup in the U.S. population. The maximum possible size
of such an effect would occur only if responses of the subgroup members and Americans who
are not members of the subgroup were completely different on a specific survey question.
 
 
 
 
106
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
References
 
DeNavas-Walt, Carmen, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith. 2011. “Income, Poverty,
and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010.” Current Population
Reports, Consumer Income, P60-239. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau,
September.
 
 
Edmonston, Barry and Jeffrey S. Passel. 1994. “The Future Immigrant Population of the
United States,” Immigration and Ethnicity: The Integration of America’s Newest Arrivals,
edited by Barry Edmonston and Jeffrey S. Passel, Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press.
 
Garner, Thesia, Javier Ruiz-Castillo, and Mercedes Sastre. 2003. “The Influence of
Demographics and Household-Specific Price Indices on Consumption-Based Inequality
and Welfare: A Comparison of Spain and the United States.” Southern Economic
Journal 70(1): 22-48.
 
Kochhar, Rakesh and D’Vera Cohn. 2011. “Fighting Poverty in a Bad Economy, Americans
Move in with Relatives.” Washington, DC: Pew Social & Demographic Trends project, October
 
3.
Johnson, David S., Timothy M. Smeeding, and Barbara Boyle Torrey. 2005. “Economic
Inequality Through the Prisms of Income and Consumption.” Monthly Labor Review,
April: 11-24.
 
Passel, Jeffrey S. and D’Vera Cohn. 2012. “U.S. Foreign-Born Population: How Much Change
from 2009 to 2010?” Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center. January 9.
 
Passel, Jeffrey S. and D’Vera Cohn. 2008. “U.S. Population Projections: 2005-2050.”
Washington, DC: Pew Social & Demographic Trends project. February 11.
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2008/02/11/us-population-projections-2005-2050/
 
Short, Kathleen, Thesia Garner, David Johnson, and Patricia Doyle. 1999. “Experimental
Poverty Measures: 1990 to 1997.” Current Population Reports, Consumer Income, P60
 
 
205. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau, June.
 
 
 
107
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
APPENDIX 3: QUESTION WORDING AND TOPLINE RESULTS
 
2012 National Survey of Latinos (NSL)
Sept. 7-Oct. 4, 2012
N=1,765
 
 
2012 Asian-American Survey (AAS)
Jan. 3-March 27, 2012
N=3,511
 
 
Sample size
Margin of error at
95% confidence level
Total Hispanic respondents 2012 1,765 +/- 3.2% points
Foreign born 899 +/- 4.4% points
Native born (including Puerto Rico)37 866 +/- 4.7% points
Second generation 351 +/- 7.3% points
Total Asian-American respondents 3,511 +/-2.4%
Foreign born 2,684 +/-2.7%
Native born 815 +/-5.5%
Second generation 566 +/- 6.6% points
 
Note: All numbers below are percentages. The percentages greater than zero but less than 0.5% are
replaced by an asterisk (*). Columns/rows may not total 100% due to rounding.
 
Appendix includes only questions that are comparable on both surveys. Questions shown were asked of all
respondents unless otherwise noted. Selected trends for the general public are shown for comparison.
General public trends for the United States come from various surveys by the Pew Research Center
projects, and are noted as follows:
 
PP—Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
SDT—Pew Social & Demographic Trends
 
A question with “[Country of Origin]” indicates language customized to match the group of the respondent.
For Asian groups, see code for COOGROUP at the end of appendix. For Hispanic groups, see question
wording from NSL Q3/Q4/Q5 at the end of document. For more details, see full topline and questionnaire
from each survey: NSL 2012 and AAS 2012.
 
NSL Q10/ AAS Q6
All in all, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in this country today?
 
 
2012 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen. Americans born born gen.
% % % % % % % %
Satisfied 51 57 45 49 43 46 32 33
Dissatisfied 43 36 49 47 48 44 60 59
Don't know/Ref.
(VOL.) 6 7 5 4 9 9 7 8
 
37 All figures below for native-born Hispanics include those born in Puerto Rico.
 
 
 
 
108
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
General Public Comparison:
 
Don’t know/Refused
 
 Satisfied Dissatisfied
 
(VOL.)
 
 % % %
PP Jul 2012 31 64 5
PP Jan 2012 21 75 4
 
NSL Q36. ASK ALL
Would you say you can carry on a conversation in Spanish, both understanding and speaking -- very well,
pretty well, just a little, or not at all?
AAS Q81. ASK IF U.S. BORN:
Would you say you can carry on a conversation in [IF CHINESE (COOGROUP=1) INSERT “CHINESE”;
IF FILIPINO (COOGROUP=2) INSERT “TAGALOG OR ANOTHER FILIPINO LANGUAGE”; IF
INDIAN (COOGROUP=3) INSERT “HINDI OR ANOTHER INDIAN LANGUAGE”; IF JAPANESE
(COOGROUP=4) INSERT “JAPANESE”; IF KOREAN (COOGROUP=5) INSERT “KOREAN”; IF
VIETNAMESE (COOGROUP=6) INSERT “VIETNAMESE”; IF COOGROUP=10-30 INSERT “the native
language of the country your parents or ancestors came from”] both understanding and speaking – very
well, pretty well, just a little, or not at all?
 
2012 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2ndHispanics born born gen. Americans born born gen.
% % % % % % % %
Very well 54 65 41 50 --
14
18
Pretty well 26 27 25 30 --
19
23
Just a little 15 6 24 16 --
32
33
Not at all 5 1 10 4 --
34
26
Don't know/Refused (VOL.) * * 0 0 --
*
*
 
NSL Q38. ASK ALL/ AAS Q80. ASK IF FOREIGN BORN:
Would you say you can carry on a conversation in English, both understanding and speaking—very well,
pretty well, just a little, or not at all?
 
 
2012 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen. Americans born born gen.
 
 % % % % % % % %
Very well 52 25 81 81 --49 ---Pretty
well 12 12 12 12 --26 ---Just
a little 26 46 6 5 --21 ---Not
at all 9 17 1 1 --4 ---Don't
know/Refused (VOL.) * 1 * 0 --* ---
 
 
NSL Q40/ AAS Q87.
How would you rate your own personal financial situation? Would you say you are in excellent shape, good
shape, only fair shape or poor shape financially?
 
 
2012 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen. Americans born born gen.
 
 % % % % % % % %
Excellent shape 5 4 7 7 12 11 15 16
Good shape 28 22 33 35 40 39 41 40
Only fair shape 50 59 40 44 36 38 31 31
Poor shape 16 14 19 15 11 11 11 10
Don't know/Refused
 
1 * 1 * 2 2 2 2
 
(VOL.)
 
 
 
 
109
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
General Public:
Don’t know/
Excellent Good Only fair Poor Refused
shape shape shape shape (VOL.)
 
 % % % % %
PP Sep 2012 8 35 36 20 1
PP Jan 2012 6 29 42 22 1
 
NSL Q43a-g/ AAS Q19a-g.
Here are some goals that people value in their lives. Please tell me how important each is to you
personally. First (INSERT FIRST ITEM; RANDOMIZE), is that one of the most important things in your
life, or very important but not one of the most important things, or somewhat important, or not important?
How about (INSERT NEXT ITEM)? [INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: REPEAT AS NECESSARY “Is that
one of the most important things in your life, or very important but not one of the most important things,
or somewhat important, or not important?”] [INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: IF RESPONDENT SAYS
“VERY IMPORTANT” PROBE: “To clarify, would that be one of the most important things in your life OR
very important but not one of the most important things OR somewhat important, OR not important.”]
 
Hispanics 2012:.
 
One of Very Don’t
the most important know/
important but not one Somewhat Not Refused
things of the most important important (VOL.)
 
a. Being successful in a high-paying
career or profession % % % % %
Hispanics 32 46 17 4 1
Foreign born 33 50 13 3 1
Native born 31 43 20 6 1
Second generation 35 44 17 5 *
b. Having a successful marriage
Hispanics 39 43 10 7 1
Foreign born 35 47 12 5 1
Native born 43 39 7 10 1
Second generation 42 38 9 10 1
c. Living a very religious life
Hispanics 23 37 27 12 *
Foreign born 23 41 28 8 *
Native born 24 32 26 17 *
Second generation 19 36 27 18 *
d. Being a good parent
Hispanics 58 36 3 2 *
Foreign born 55 41 3 1 *
Native born 62 31 4 3 1
Second generation 60 33 3 2 1
g. Owning your own home
Hispanics 33 48 13 5 1
Foreign born 32 51 12 4 1
Native born 33 46 13 6 1
Second generation 31 50 13 6 *
 
 
 
 
110
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
a.
Asian Americans:
 
One of Very Don’t
the most important know/
important but not one Somewhat Not Refused
things of the most important important (VOL.)
 
a.
Being successful in a high-paying
career or profession % % % % %
Asian Americans 27 39 27 6 1
Foreign born 29 41 24 5 1
Native born 19 35 36 9 1
Second generation 22 33 35 8 1
b. Having a successful marriage
Asian Americans 54 32 9 4 1
Foreign born 57 32 8 3 1
Native born 47 33 11 7 2
Second generation 48 34 10 6 2
c. Living a very religious life
Asian Americans 22 23 28 25 1
Foreign born 24 25 26 23 2
Native born 16 19 32 32 1
Second generation 15 20 30 34 1
d. Being a good parent
Asian Americans 67 27 4 1 1
Foreign born 66 28 4 1 1
Native born 68 26 2 3 2
Second generation 66 27 2 3 2
g. Owning your own home
Asian Americans 32 36 26 6 1
Foreign born 34 35 25 5 1
Native born 25 38 27 9 1
Second generation 25 35 28 11 1
 
b. Other items in series not shown: e. “Having lots of free time to relax or do things you want to do” and f.” Helping other people
who are in need.”
General Public:b.
 
One of Very Don’t
the most important know/
important but not Somewhat Not Refused
things the most important important (VOL.)
 
a. Being successful in a high-paying
career or profession % % % % %
SDT Dec 2011 10 40 31 18 1
b. Having a successful marriage
SDT Dec 2011 36 48 8 7 1
c. Living a very religious life
SDT Jan 2010 20 35 25 19 1
d. Being a good parent
SDT Dec 2011 53 39 2 3 2
g. Owning your own home
SDT Dec 2011 20 54 19 6 1
 
b. In the general public surveys, the response options were: “one of the most important things,” “very important but not the
most,” somewhat important” or “not important.”
 
 
 
111
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
NSL Q44.
How many of your friends in the U.S. are (insert COUNTRY OF ORIGIN from NSL OR if DK/REF “of same
heritage as you” )? Would you say…(READ LIST)?
AAS Q44.
How many of your friends in the U.S. are [IF COOGROUP=1-29: [Country of Origin]/IF
COOGROUP=30: “from the same Asian background as you”]? Would you say [READ]
 
 
2012 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen. Americans born born gen.
 
 % % % % % % % %
All/most (NET) 55 64 47 49 41 49 17 17
All of them 12 16 8 8 6 8 2 2
Most of them 44 48 39 41 35 41 15 15
Some of them 35 29 41 39 42 39 52 50
Hardly any of them 8 5 12 12 15 10 30 31
None of them (VOL.) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2
Don't know/Refused (VOL.) 1 1 * 0 * * * *
NSL Q45a items a-c.
 
ASK IF NOT MEXICAN OR RANDOM HALF OF RESPONDENTS WHO ARE MEXICAN: In general, do
you think being (insert from Q2: HISPANIC/LATINO)– helps, hurts, or makes no difference when it comes
to (INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE)? Next, (INSERT ITEM)? [INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: READ IF
NECESSARY: In general, do you think being (HISPANIC/LATINO)– helps, hurts, or makes no difference
when it comes to (INSERT ITEM)?]
 
Hispanics 2012:
 
Don’t
know/
Makes no Refused
Helps Hurts difference (VOL.) N
 
a.
Finding a job % % % %
Hispanic 35 23 40 3 1,280
Foreign born 40 22 35 3 641
Native born 29 24 44 4 639
Second generation 37 25 33 4 246
b.
Getting a promotion
Hispanic 32 19 46 3 1,280
Foreign born 41 21 35 3 641
Native born 22 18 56 3 639
Second generation 24 18 54 4 246
c. Gaining admission into schools
and colleges
Hispanic 37 16 44 3 1,280
Foreign born 42 19 36 3 641
Native born 31 12 53 3 639
Second generation 32 14 50 3 246
 
 
 
 
112
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
NSL Q45b items a-c.
ASK RANDOM HALF OF RESPONDENTS WHO ARE MEXICAN: In general, do you think being [OF
MEXICAN ORIGIN]– helps, hurts, or makes no difference when it comes to (INSERT ITEM;
RANDOMIZE)? Next, (INSERT ITEM)? [INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: READ IF NECESSARY: In
general, do you think being [OF MEXICAN ORIGIN]– helps, hurts, or makes no difference when it comes to
[INSERT ITEM])?]
 
 
Mexican Americans 2012:
 
Don’t
know/
Makes no Refused
Helps Hurts difference (VOL.) N
a. Finding a job % % % %
Mexican American 31 18 47 4 485
Foreign born 34 18 46 2 258
Native born 28 17 49 5 227
Second generation 33 20 41 5 105
b. Getting a promotion
Mexican American 32 18 47 4 485
Foreign born 35 15 45 4 258
Native born 27 21 49 4 227
Second generation 30 22 44 4 105
c. Gaining admission into schools and
colleges
Mexican American 35 15 46 4 485
Foreign born 35 16 43 6 258
Native born 35 13 49 3 227
Second generation 32 15 50 3 105
 
AAS Q46 items a-c.
ASK ALL: In general, do you think being [IF COOGROUP=1-29: [Country of Origin]/IF
COOGROUP=30: “Asian”] American helps, hurts, or makes no difference when it comes to [INSERT
ITEM; RANDOMIZE]? Next, [INSERT ITEM] READ IF NECESSARY: In general, do you think being
[Country of Origin/”Asian”] American helps, hurts, or makes no difference when it comes to [INSERT
ITEM]?
 
Asian Americans:
 
Don’t
know/
Makes no Refused
Helps Hurts difference (VOL.)
 
a.
Finding a job % % % %
Asian American 19 12 62 7
Foreign born 20 13 60 7
Native born 17 9 68 5
Second generation 17 10 68 6
b.
Getting a promotion
Asian American 14 15 61 9
Foreign born 15 16 58 10
Native born 12 12 70 6
Second generation 11 12 70 7
c. Gaining admission into schools and
colleges
Asian American 20 12 61 7
Foreign born 20 10 62 8
Native born 21 16 57 6
Second generation 21 17 56 6
 
 
 
 
113
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
Now I have some questions about how some groups in our society get along…
NSL Q46 items a-c.
How well do you think (INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE) get along with each other these days – would you
say very well, pretty well, not too well, or not at all well? What about how well (NEXT ITEM) get along?
[IF NECESSARY: Do (ITEM) get along very well, pretty well, not too well, or not at all well these days?]
AAS Q49 items a-c.
How well do you think [INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE ITEMS A-C] get along with each other these days –
would you say very well, pretty well, not too well, or not at all well? What about how well [NEXT ITEM]
get along? [IF NECESSARY: Do [ITEM] get along very well, pretty well, not too well, or not at all well
these days?] [FOR ITEMS A-C IF COOGROUP=1-29 INSERT [Country of Origin], IF
COOGROUP=30 INSERT “Asian.”
 
 
NSL Q46a. (Insert from Q2: HISPANICS/LATINOS) and whites
AAS Q49a. [Country of Origin/”Asian”]-Americans and whites
 
 
2012 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen. Americans born born gen.
 
 % % % % % % % %
Very well 28 31 24 24 26 25 31 31
Pretty well 45 35 56 57 61 61 61 61
Not too well 20 24 16 17 8 9 5 4
Not at all well 3 4 2 1 * * * *
Don’t know/Refused (VOL.) 4 6 2 1 4 4 4 4
NSL Q46b. (Insert from Q2: HISPANICS/LATINOS) and blacks
AAS Q49b. [Country of Origin/”Asian”]-Americans and blacks
 
2012 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen. Americans born born gen.
 
 % % % % % % % %
Very well 21 22 21 20 15 14 19 17
Pretty well 35 21 50 49 48 45 54 54
Not too well 32 41 22 23 25 27 16 17
Not at all well 7 10 3 4 4 4 3 3
Don’t know/Refused (VOL.) 5 6 4 3 9 9 8 9
NSL Q46c. (Insert from Q2: HISPANICS/LATINOS) and Asians
AAS Q49c. [Country of Origin/”Asian”]-Americans and Hispanics or Latinos
 
2012 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen. Americans born born gen.
% % % % % % % %
Very well 22 25 19 20 16 14 19 19
Pretty well 38 24 53 56 56 55 60 59
Not too well 22 28 16 17 17 19 11 12
Not at all well 4 6 2 3 2 2 * 1
Don’t know/Refused (VOL.) 14 17 11 4 10 10 9 9
 
 
 
 
114
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
NSL Q61.
 
In politics today, do you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, or something else?
ASK IF INDEPENDENT/SOMETHING ELSE/DON’T KNOW/REFUSED (Q.61=3,4,D,R) NSLQ62. Do
you consider yourself closer to the Republican Party or the Democratic Party?
AAS PARTY.
In politics TODAY, do you consider yourself a Republican, Democrat, or independent?
 
 
ASK IF INDEPENDENT/NO PREFERENCE/OTHER PARTY/DON’T KNOW/REFUSED
(PARTY=3,4,5,9) AAS PARTYLN As of today do you lean more to the Republican Party or more to the
 
 
Democratic Party?
BASED ON ALL:
2012 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
% % % % % % % %
Republican 10 8 12 12 18 18 19 17
Democrat 49 45 53 54 33 31 38 34
Independent 23 26 20 19 34 34 33 37
Something else 10 10 11 11 --
-
-
No
preference
(VOL.) --
-
-
7
8 6 6
Other party (VOL.) --
-
-
*
* 1 1
Don’t know/Refused
(VOL.) 8 12 5 4 7 8 4 5
Rep/lean Republican 18 16 19 19 28 27 31 32
Dem/lean Democrat 66 63 69 71 50 49 54 52
Does not lean 16 20 12 10 22 24 15 16
Asian-
Hispanic American
registered registered
voters voters
% %
Republican 14 22
Democrat 57 38
Independent 20 31
Something else 6 --
No preference (VOL.) -5
Other party (VOL.) -*
Don’t know/Refused (VOL.) 4 4
N 903 1,936
 
 
115
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
NSL Q16 ASK IF BORN IN U.S. OR CITIZEN OF U.S (Q.9=1 OR Q.4=1, 2 OR Q.5=24)
AAS REGA. ASK IF BORN IN U.S. OR CITIZEN OF U.S. (BIRTH=1 OR CITIZEN =1)
Which of these statements best describes you? (READ IN ORDER)
 
BASED ON ALL BORN IN U.S. OR U.S. CITIZEN:
 
2012 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
% % % % % % % %
Are you absolutely
certain that you are
registered to vote at 68 68 68 68 72 73 70 65
your current address
Are you probably
registered, but there
is a chance your 9 13 8 8 9 8 10 12
registration has
lapsed
Are you not registered
to vote at your 21 18 22 22 18 17 18 20
current address
Not eligible to vote
(VOL.) * * 0 0 --
-
-
Don’t
know/Refused
(VOL.) 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
N 1,241 375 866 351 2,660 1,835 815 566
 
 
116
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Pew Research Center
2011 National Survey of Latinos (NSL)
Nov. 9-Dec. 7, 2011
N=1,220
 
 
2012 Asian-American Survey (AAS)
Jan. 3-March 27, 2012
N=3,511
 
 
Sample size
Margin of error at
95% confidence level
Total Hispanic respondents 2011 1,220 +/-3.6%
Foreign born 728 +/-4.7%
Native born (including Puerto Rico) 38 492 +/-5.5%
Second generation 219 +/- 8.0% points
Total Asian-American respondents 3,511 +/-2.4%
Foreign born 2,684 +/-2.7%
Native born 815 +/-5.5%
Second generation 566 +/- 6.6% points
 
Note: All numbers below are percentages. The percentages greater than zero but less than 0.5% are
replaced by an asterisk (*). Columns/rows may not total 100% due to rounding.
 
Appendix includes only questions that are comparable on both surveys. Questions shown were asked of all
respondents unless otherwise noted. Selected trends for the general public are shown for comparison.
General public trends for the United States come from various surveys by the Pew Research Center
projects, and are noted as follows:
 
PP—Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
SDT—Pew Social & Demographic Trends
 
A question with “[Country of Origin]” indicates language customized to match the group of the respondent.
For Asian groups see code for COOGROUP at the end of appendix. For Hispanic groups see question
wording from NSL Q3/Q3a/Q4/Q5 at the end of appendix. For more details see full topline and
questionnaire from each survey: NSL 2011 and AAS 2012.
 
NSL Q35/AAS Q10.
Compared to your parents when they were the age you are now, do you think your own standard of living
now is much better, somewhat better, about the same, somewhat worse, or much worse than theirs was?
 
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
% % % % % % % %
Much better 35 36 34 35 49 52 42 45
Somewhat better 32 35 28 33 24 22 28 30
About the same 17 17 18 15 15 15 17 15
Somewhat worse 8 6 10 6 7 6 8 6
Much worse 6 5 8 8 3 3 4 3
Don’t know/ Refused (VOL.) 2 2 2 3 2 3 1 1
 
38 All figures below for native-born Hispanics include those born in Puerto Rico.
 
 
 
 
117
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
General Public:
Don’t know/
Much Somewhat About the Somewhat Much Refusedbetter better same worse worse (VOL.)
 
 % % % % % %
 
SDT Dec 2011 36 24 23 10 5 2
 
SDT Mar 2011 35 26 23 9 4 3
 
NSL Q36/AAS Q11.
When your children are at the age you are now, do you think their standard of living will be much better,
somewhat better, about the same, somewhat worse, or much worse than yours is now?
 
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
 
 % % % % % % % %
Much better 40 43 36 36 31 34 20 20
Somewhat better 26 29 23 30 22 23 20 21
About the same 12 10 14 13 19 16 26 28
Somewhat worse 10 8 13 13 14 12 21 19
Much worse 7 5 10 6 5 5 6 5
No children (VOL.) 1 1 2 1 3 2 6 5
Don’t know/
 
4 5 2 1 7 8 2 2
 
Refused (VOL.)
 
General Public:
About No Don’t know/
Much Somewhat the Somewhat Much children Refused
better better same worse worse (VOL.) (VOL.)
 
% % % % % % %
 
SDT Dec 2011 28 20 19 13 10 5 6
 
SDTMar 2011 26 22 19 12 9 6 5
 
ASK ALL
 
NSL Q51/AAS Q20.
Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you can't be too careful in
dealing with people?
 
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
 
 % % % % % % % %
Can be trusted 12 9 15 13 36 35 37 37
Can't be too careful 86 89 82 84 56 56 57 56
Other/Depends (VOL.) 2 1 2 2 6 7 4 5
Don't know/ Refused (VOL.) 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3
 
 
 
 
118
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
General Public:
 
PP Jan
2012
%
Can be trusted 40
Can't be too careful 56
Other/Depends (VOL.) 2
Don't Know/Refused (VOL.) 2
NSL Q52.
 
I'm going to read you a pair of statements. Tell me whether the FIRST statement or the SECOND
statement comes closer to your own views — even if neither is exactly right. [READ LIST; ROTATE
RESPONSE OPTIONS]
 
AAS Q12b.
As I read a pair of statements, tell me whether the FIRST statement or the SECOND statement comes
closer to your own views — even if neither is exactly right. The first pair is.../The next pair is… [READ
AND RANDOMIZE ITEMS, BUT DO NOT ROTATE WITHIN PAIRS; INTERVIEWER – PRECEDE THE
FIRST STATEMENT IN EACH PAIR WITH “one” AND THE SECOND STATEMENT IN EACH PAIR
WITH “two”]
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
 
% % % % % % % %
Most people who
want to get
ahead can make 75 78 72 78 69 68 69 72
it if they're willing
to work hard
Hard work and
determination are
no guarantee of 21 18 25 20 27 27 28 26
success for most
people
Neither/both equally
(VOL.) 2 3 1 1 2 2 2 1
Don't Know/Refused
(VOL.) 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 1
General Public:
PP Dec
2011
%
Most people who want to get ahead can make
it if they're willing to work hard 58
Hard work and determination are no guarantee
of success for most people 40
Neither/both equally (VOL.) 1
Don't Know/Refused (VOL.) 2
 
 
 
 
119
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
NSL Q53/AAS Q13.
If you had to choose, would you rather have a smaller government providing fewer services, or a bigger
government providing more services?
 
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
 
% % % % % % % %
 
Smaller
 
government, fewer 19 11 28 24 36 33 44 46
 
services
 
Bigger government,
 
75 83 66 71 55 57 48 47
 
more services
Depends (VOL.) 2 2 2 2 4 4 3 3
Don't Know/Refused
 
4 4 4 4 5 6 4 4
 
(VOL.)
 
General Public:
PP PP
Jan 2012 Oct 2011
% %
Smaller government, fewer services 52 48
Bigger government, more services 39 41
Depends (VOL.) 2 2
Don't Know/Refused (VOL.) 7 8
 
NSL Q54/AAS Q24.
Overall, do you think of yourself as a typical American OR very different from a typical American?
 
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
 
% % % % % % % %
Typical American 47 33 64 61 39 30 65 61
Very different from
typical American 47 59 33 36 53 60 31 34
Don't Know/Refused
(VOL.) 6 8 3 3 9 10 5 6
 
 
 
 
120
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
NSL Q59.
 
ASK ALL: People sometimes use different terms to describe themselves. In general which ONE of the
following terms do you use to describe yourself MOST OFTEN? (READ) insert Country of Origin from NSL;
insert “Latino” or “Hispanic” from Q2; An American.
AAS Q42.
ASK IF COOGROUP=1-29: People sometimes use different terms to describe themselves. In general,
which ONE of the following terms do you use to describe yourself MOST OFTEN [READ; RANDOMIZE
RESPONSE OPTIONS 1 THROUGH 3] insert Country of Origin from COOGROUP; An “Asian or Asian
American”; An American.
 
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
% % % % % % % %
[Country of Origin]39 51 61 40 38 62 69 43 45
[Latino/Hispanic]
/[An Asian or 24 29 18 20 19 18 22 23
Asian American]
An American 21 8 37 37 14 9 28 27
Depends (VOL.) 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 1
Don't Know/Refused
(VOL.) 2 2 2 2 1 * 1 1
Not asked-Other
Asians --
-
-
3
3 5 4
(COOGROUP=30)
NSL Q64.
 
On the whole, do you think that (insert from Q2 “HISPANICS” or ”LATINOS”) have been more successful
than other racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S., less successful, or about equally successful?
AAS Q47.
On the whole, do you think Asian Americans have been more successful than other racial and ethnic
minority groups in the U.S., less successful, or about equally successful?
 
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
 
% % % % % % % %
More successful 17 17 16 15 43 44 40 39
 
About equally
 
55 53 58 62 45 45 48 48
 
successful
Less successful 22 23 22 20 5 5 6 5
 
Depends (VOL.) 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3
Don't Know/Refused
 
4 5 3 1 4 4 4 5
 
(VOL.)
 
39 If country of origin on NSL survey was don’t know or refused, the question read “the term used to describe people from the
country you came from” for those born outside of the U.S. or “the term used to describe people of your heritage” for all others.
 
 
 
 
121
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
NSL Q66 items a-f.
Overall would you say (INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE) (IS/ARE) better in the United States, better in
(Country of Origin/the country your parents or ancestors came from/Puerto Rico/the country you came
from), or about the same? How about (READ EACH ITEM)? READ IF NECESSARY: Would you say
(INSERT) (IS/ARE) better in the United States, better in (Country of Origin/the country your parents or
ancestors came from/Puerto Rico/the country you came from), or about the same?
AAS Q54 items a-g.
Overall would you say (INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE) is/are better in the United States, better in the
country [IF BIRTH = 1 INSERT “your parents or ancestors came from”; IF BIRTH = 2-99 INSERT “the
country you came from”], or about the same? How about (INSERT ITEM)? READ IF NECESSARY:
Overall, would you say (ITEM) is/are better in the United States, better in the country [IF BIRTH = 1
INSERT “your parents or ancestors came from”; IF BIRTH = 2-99 INSERT “the country you came
 
from”], or about the same?
Hispanics 2011:
Better in the
country (your Don’t know/
Better in parents/you) Refused
the U.S. came from Same (VOL.)
% % % %
a. Treatment of the poor
Hispanics 69 7 21 3
Foreign born 74 5 19 2
Native born 63 10 24 3
Second generation 69 11 18 3
b. The moral values of society
Hispanics 44 21 32 3
Foreign born 44 24 29 3
Native born 44 17 35 4
Second generation 49 20 27 4
c. The strength of family ties
Hispanics 33 39 26 3
Foreign born 32 39 26 3
Native born 33 38 26 2
Second generation 33 44 23 1
d. The opportunity to get ahead
Hispanics 87 2 10 1
Foreign born 88 1 10 1
Native born 85 3 10 2
Second generation 87 1 11 *
f. The conditions for raising children
Hispanics 72 10 17 2
Foreign born 69 11 18 2
Native born 74 8 16 2
Second generation 81 6 11 1
 
 
 
 
122
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Asian Americans:c
 
Better in the
country (your Don’t know/
Better in parents/you) Refused
the U.S. came from Same (VOL.)
% % % %
a. Treatment of the poor
Asian Americans 64 9 21 6
Foreign born 68 8 20 4
Native born 54 11 23 12
Second generation 57 10 21 12
b. The moral values of society
Asian Americans 34 28 32 6
Foreign born 36 27 32 5
Native born 30 29 32 9
Second generation 30 28 31 11
c. The strength of family ties
Asian Americans 14 56 26 3
Foreign born 14 57 26 3
Native born 15 55 26 4
Second generation 14 60 23 3
d. The opportunity to get ahead
Asian Americans 73 5 18 4
Foreign born 71 6 19 4
Native born 79 2 15 4
Second generation 80 2 15 3
g. The conditions for raising children
Asian Americans 62 13 20 4
Foreign born 61 15 20 4
Native born 67 8 19 6
Second generation 70 7 18 5
 
c Other items in series not shown: e. “Freedom to practice one’s religion” and f. “Freedom to express one’s political views.”
 
 
 
 
123
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
NSL Q67. ASK IF FOREIGN BORN:
What would you say is the MAIN reason you came to the United States? Was it [READ LIST; INSERT;
RANDOMIZE RESPONSE OPTIONS; ITEM 5 ALWAYS COMES LAST] [INTERVIEW INSTRUCTION:
RECORD ONE RESPONSE ONLY. IF RESPONDENT OFFERS MORE THAN ONE RESPONSE, PROBE
ONCE FOR MAIN REASON. IF RESPONDENT STILL OFFERS MORE THAN ONE RESPONSE, CODE AS
5 (OTHER) AND RECORD VERBATIM RESPONSE]?
AAS Q65. ASK IF FOREIGN BORN:
What would you say is the MAIN reason you came to the United States? Was it [READ LIST; INSERT;
RANDOMIZE RESPONSE OPTIONS; ITEM 5 ALWAYS COMES LAST] [INTERVIEW INSTRUCTION:
RECORD ONE RESPONSE ONLY. IF RESPONDENT OFFERS MORE THAN ONE RESPONSE, PROBE
ONCE FOR MAIN REASON. IF RESPONDENT STILL OFFERS MORE THAN ONE RESPONSE, CODE AS
5 (OTHER) AND RECORD VERBATIM RESPONSE]
 
 
Foreign-
 
born
Foreign-born Asian
Hispanics 2011 Americans
% %
Educational opportunities 9 28
Economic opportunities 56 21
Conflict/persecution in your home country 5 9
For family reasons 23 31
For some other reason (specify) 6 9
Don't know/Refused (VOL.) 1 1
N 728 2,684
 
NSL Q68 ASK IF FOREIGN BORN/AAS Q66. ASK IF FOREIGN BORN
If you could do it again, would you (READ LIST IN ORDER)?
Foreign-
born
Foreign-born Asian
Hispanics 2011 Americans
 
 % %
Come to the United States 79 76
Stay in the country where you were born 15 12
Move to a different country 4 6
Don't know/Refused (VOL.) 2 7
 
N 728 2,684
 
 
 
 
124
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
NSL Q70.
 
How important is it to you that future generations of (insert from Q2 “HISPANICS” or “LATINOS”) living in
the United States be able to speak Spanish- very important, somewhat important, not too important, or
not important at all?
AAS Q67.
How important is it to you that future generations of [IF COOGROUP=1-29: Country of Origin/IF
COOGROUP=30: “Asians”] living in the United States be able to speak [IF CHINESE (COOGROUP=1)
INSERT “CHINESE”; IF FILIPINO (COOGROUP=2) INSERT “TAGALOG OR ANOTHER FILIPINO
LANGUAGE”; IF INDIAN (COOGROUP=3) INSERT “HINDI OR ANOTHER INDIAN LANGUAGE”; IF
JAPANESE (COOGROUP=4) INSERT “JAPANESE”; IF KOREAN (COOGROUP=5) INSERT
“KOREAN”; IF VIETNAMESE (COOGROUP=6) INSERT “VIETNAMESE”; IF COOGROUP=10-30
INSERT “the native language of the country you, your parents or ancestors came from”]—very important,
somewhat important, not too important, or not important at all?
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
% % % % % % % %
Very important 75 82 68 68 45 49 32 37
Somewhat important 20 14 26 26 35 33 40 39
Not too important 3 3 3 4 13 11 18 15
Not important at all 1 1 2 2 7 6 10 8
Don't Know/
Refused (VOL.) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
 
 
 
 
125
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
NSL Q71a-d.
How comfortable would you be if a child of yours married someone who (INSERT ITEM;DO NOT
RANDOMIZE)? Would you be very comfortable, somewhat comfortable, not too comfortable or not at all
comfortable? What about if a child of yours married someone who (INSERT ITEM)? READ IF NECESSARY:
Would you be very comfortable, somewhat comfortable, not too comfortable or not at all comfortable?
[FOR ITEMS A-C, Insert language on country of origin and “Hispanic” or “Latino” from Q2.]
AAS Q68a-d.
How comfortable would you be if a child of yours married someone who (INSERT ITEM; DO NOT
RANDOMIZE)? Would you be very comfortable, somewhat comfortable, not too comfortable or not at all
comfortable? What about (INSERT)? READ IF NECESSARY: Would you be very comfortable, somewhat
comfortable, not too comfortable or not at all comfortable? [FOR ITEMS A AND B, IF COOGROUP=30
INSERT “from the country you, your parents or ancestors came from”]
 
 
Hispanics 2011:
 
Depends
on
Not at situation/ if Don’t
all man or know/
Very Somewhat Not too comfort woman Refused
comfortable comfortable comfortable able (VOL.) (VOL.)
% % % % % %
a. Is NOT [Country of
Origin]40
Hispanics 65 22 3 3 4 3
Foreign born 58 26 4 3 6 4
Native born 74 17 2 4 2 2
Second generation 76 14 2 4 3 1
b. Is (HISPANIC/LATINO)
but NOT [Country of
Origin]
Hispanics 64 23 4 3 3 2
Foreign born 55 30 3 4 4 4
Native born 75 15 4 2 2 1
Second generation 75 16 5 2 1 1
c. Has NO
(HISPANIC/LATINO)
background
Hispanics 59 25 6 5 3 2
Foreign born 49 31 7 6 4 3
Native born 70 18 4 4 2 1
Second generation 71 17 5 4 1 1
d. Has different religious
beliefs
Hispanics 36 27 13 17 3 3
Foreign born 29 29 14 20 3 4
Native born 44 24 13 13 4 2
Second generation 47 22 16 9 2 3
 
40 If country of origin on NSL survey was don’t know or refused, the question read “from the country you came from” for those
born outside of the U.S. or “the same heritage as you” for all others.
 
 
 
 
126
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
Asian Americans:
 
Depends
on
Not at situation/ if Don’t
all man or know/
Very Somewhat Not too comfort woman Refused
comfortable comfortable comfortable able (VOL.) (VOL.)
% % % % % %
a. Is NOT [Country of
Origin/“from the country
you, your parents or
ancestors came from”]
Asian Americans 54 28 9 4 2 2
Foreign born 46 33 12 5 3 2
Native born 79 15 2 1 1 1
Second generation 78 16 3 * 2 1
b. Is Asian but NOT
[Country of Origin/“from
the country you, your
parents or ancestors
came from”]
Asian Americans 52 31 9 4 2 2
Foreign born 45 35 11 5 2 2
Native born 76 19 1 1 1 2
Second generation 75 20 2 * 1 2
c. Has NO Asian
background
Asian Americans 49 29 12 6 3 2
Foreign born 41 32 14 7 3 3
Native born 74 18 5 1 2 1
Second generation 73 19 5 1 2 1
d. Has different religious
beliefs
Asian Americans 34 32 16 13 3 3
Foreign born 30 31 17 14 3 3
Native born 44 34 12 7 1 1
Second generation 43 36 11 8 1 1
 
 
 
 
127
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
NSL Q77/ AAS Q82.
Which statement comes closer to your own views, even if neither is exactly right? (READ)
 
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
 
Homosexuality should
be accepted by society
Homosexuality should
be discouraged by
society
Neither/Both equally
(VOL.)
Don’t know/Refused
(VOL.)
%
59
30
4
7
%
53
33
4
10
%
65
28
3
4
%
68
25
3
5
%
53
35
4
8
%
46
41
4
9
%
76
17
3
4
%
78
15
2
4
General Public:
PP
Jan 2012
%
Homosexuality should be accepted by society 56
Homosexuality should be discouraged by society 32
Neither/Both equally (VOL.) 4
Don't know/Refused (VOL.) 7
 
 
 
 
128
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
NSL Q78/AAS Q83.
Do you think abortion should be …? (READ; READ CATEGORIES IN REVERSE ORDER FOR HALF OF
SAMPLE)
 
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
 
Legal in all cases
Legal in most cases
Illegal in most cases
Illegal in all cases
Don’t know/Refused
(VOL.)
%
15
28
24
27
6
%
11
22
25
34
8
%
18
36
22
19
4
%
16
39
23
17
5
%
16
38
23
14
9
%
13
38
24
16
10
%
26
40
18
10
6
%
24
41
18
11
5
General Public:
PP
Nov 2011
%
Legal in all cases 20
Legal in most cases 31
Illegal in most cases 26
Illegal in all cases
Don’t know/Refused (VOL.)
17
6
 
 
129
 
SECOND-GENERATION AMERICANS: A PORTRAIT OF THE ADULT CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS
 
NSL Q83/AAS IDEO.
In general, would you described your political views as … (READ LIST)?
 
 
2011 Foreign Native 2nd Asian Foreign Native 2nd
Hispanics born born gen.Americans born born gen.
 
% % % % % % % %
Very conservative 7 6 8 5 3 3 5 3
Conservative 25 27 23 23 20 20 21 20
Moderate 31 31 31 30 37 38 35 37
Liberal [OR] 21 19 23 27 24 24 23 21
Very liberal 9 8 10 9 7 6 10 11
Don’t know/Refused
(VOL.) 7 8 6 6 8 9 6 7
NSL 2012
 
Country of Origin from Q3/Q4/Q5
 
Q.3
Now I want to ask you about you and your family’s heritage. Are you Mexican, Puerto Rican,
Cuban, Dominican, Salvadoran, or are you and your ancestors from another country? (IF
ANOTHER COUNTRY: What country is that?) (IF STILL NOT SURE ASK: Are you and your
ancestors from Central America, South America or somewhere else?) [INTERVIEWER
INSTRUCTIONS: ACCEPT ONE ANSWER. IF MORE THAN ONE ANSWER GIVEN, ASK: Which do
you identify more with?]
Q.4
Were you born on the island of Puerto Rico, in the United States, or in another country?
Q.5
ASK IF FOREIGN BORN (Q.4=3,D,R):In what country were you born?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS: DO NOT READ LIST. ENTER ONE ONLY.]
NSL 2011
Country of Origin from Q3/Q3a/Q4/Q5
 
3.
Now I want to ask you about you and your family’s heritage. Are you Mexican, Puerto Rican,
Cuban, Dominican, Salvadoran, or are you and your ancestors from another country? (IF
ANOTHER COUNTRY: What country is that?) (IF STILL NOT SURE ASK: Are you and your
ancestors from Central America, South America or somewhere else?) [INTERVIEWER
INSTRUCTIONS: ACCEPT MORE THAN ONE ANSWER]
Q.3a
ASK IF MORE THAN ONE CODE GIVEN IN Q3: You mentioned that your family heritage is
(LIST ALL ANSWERS FROM Q.3, BUT PULL FROM SINGULAR LIST). From these, which ONE do you
identify more with?
 
Q.4
Were you born on the island of Puerto Rico, in the United States, or in another country?
Q.5
ASK IF FOREIGN BORN (Q.4=3,D,R): In what country were you born?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS: DO NOT READ LIST. ENTER ONE ONLY.]
 
 
 
130
 
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
 
AAS 2012
COOGROUP (Country of Origin Group): Code based on summary variables of Asian group of the
respondent, used for inserting customized language throughout the survey.
 
COOGROUP Code
Chinese 1
Filipino(s) 2
Indian(s) 3
Japanese 4
Korean(s) 5
Vietnamese 6
Bangladeshi(s) 10
Bhutanese 11
Burmese 12
Cambodian(s) 13
Hmong 14
Indonesian(s) 15
Laotian(s) 16
Maldivian(s) 17
Malaysian(s) 18
Mongolian(s) 19
Nepali(s) 20
Pakistani(s) 21
Singaporean(s) 22
Sri Lankan(s) 23
Thai 24
Taiwanese 25
Other Asian 30
[if don’t know/none/both
or all equally/other in
combined variable]
分享到:
------分隔线----------------------------
发表评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
最新评论
随机推荐美国留学论文