image: University of California, Irvine demographers Frank D. Bean and Susan K. Brown found that welcoming attitudes, not the promise of welfare benefits, double naturalization rates. view more
Credit: Christine Byrd
Irvine, Calif., Feb. 8, 2007 -- Love, more than money, inspires legal immigrants to go through the naturalization process to become American citizens, according to new research from UC Irvine.
Naturalization rates increased after the 1996 Welfare Reform Act restricted many benefits only to citizens, causing speculation that the promise of welfare benefits was inspiring immigrants to become full-fledged citizens. But results of a study by demographers Susan K. Brown and Frank D. Bean show a much stronger connection between the extent of a community's welcoming attitude toward immigrants and the rate of naturalization.
"Legal immigrants are twice as likely to naturalize when they live in states with a warm, welcoming attitude toward immigrants," said Brown, assistant professor of sociology. The researchers, using data from the General Social Survey, considered attitudes "welcoming" in areas where locals believe immigrants are hardworking and beneficial, and where they tend to oppose English-only policies.
The study appears in the current issue of Social Forces and was co-authored by Jennifer Van Hook, associate professor of sociology at Bowling Green State University.
"There's no doubt that welfare reform has contributed to increased rates of naturalization -- it added value and salience to citizenship," said Bean, Chancellor's Professor of sociology and economics and director of the Center for Research on Immigration, Population and Public Policy. "But when we look at all the different forces influencing immigrants to naturalize, money doesn't seem to be the major factor -- it's whether the state puts out its welcome mat."
The most favorable attitude toward immigrants was reported in Arizona, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, and immigrants in those areas were more likely to naturalize. Bean noted that greater welfare benefits available in a particular state did not cause significantly more immigrants to naturalize in that state, which runs counter to the idea that money is the driving force behind the rise in naturalization rates.
Nearly 1 million people obtain legal permanent residence in the U.S. each year -- more than double the number of new illegals who come.
"Unlike Canada, the U.S. does not have a settlement assistance policy to help legal residents ease into their new life," said Bean. "This may be one of the reasons Canada's naturalization rates are so much higher than those in the U.S."
The researchers' next step in this work is to investigate what happens after immigrants have been on welfare, and whether welfare impacts their ability to establish and maintain financial stability in the U.S.
For this study, the sociologists used General Social Survey data, which is part of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Science Research, as well as data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Program Dynamics, which is a longitudinal, demographic survey of the economic, household and social characteristics of a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population over time.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Photo available at http://today.uci.edu/news/release_detail.asp?key=1568
The study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Development.
About the Center for Research on Immigration, Population and Public Policy: UCI's Center for Research on Immigration, Population and Public Policy conducts policy-relevant research on international migration and other population processes. Much of the center's research focuses on the experiences and incorporation of immigrants in the U.S. over the course of generations -- focusing not only on the immigrants themselves, but their children and grandchildren in America. Faculty members associated with the center have conducted research with grants from the National Science Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and others. To learn more about the center, visit www.cri.uci.edu.
About the University of California, Irvine: The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,800 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.
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Journal
Social Forces