Integration, Not Assimilation

Key Insights on Integration vs. Assimilation

  • Integration, not assimilation: Cultures don’t compete, they complement each other. Successful immigrants are those who integrate by preserving their original culture, enriching our national identity. 
  • Economic integration: The earnings of natives don’t completely catch up with the earnings of natives, but the children of immigrants earn more than the children of natives (at least in the US). You have to think about this as a two-generation process.
  • Cultural integration: The rate of cultural assimilation of immigrants in the US is the same as it was 100 years ago, as measured by language acquisition, adopting native names, or the preference for living in ethnic neighborhoods. This is also a two-generation process.
  • Political integration: Immigrants don’t vote for political parties or issues as blocs. They tend to adopt the local political views of the places in which they settle.
  • Don’t force it: Trying to force immigrants to abandon their original cultures backfires. Instead of integrating into the receiving culture, they double down on their original culture.

Free Download

How To Talk About Immigration

Conversations about immigration can be challenging due to its politicization, leading to avoidance, echo chambers, or confrontations.

This guide offers principles based on expert research and the author’s experiences, aimed at facilitating constructive discussions about immigration.

Case studies/examples

Prompting Meaningful Dialogue

Use these questions to spark thoughtful conversations about undocumented immigration, its impacts, and potential solutions.

  • How does integration differ from assimilation, and why is it important?
  • What are some benefits of cultural integration for both immigrants and host communities?
  • Can you think of policies or initiatives in your community that promote integration?
  • How can preserving original cultures enhance the overall identity of a nation?

Further reading and research:

Ready to learn more? Access detailed studies, articles, and reports that provide a factual, in-depth look at the contributions and impacts of immigrants in our society.

  • Jens Hainmueller and Daniel J. Hopkins, “Public Attitudes Toward Immigration,” Annual Review of Political Science 17, no. 1 (2014): 225–49, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-102512-194818
  • Jens Hainmueller and Michael J. Hiscox, “Attitudes Toward Highly Skilled and Low-Skilled Immigration: Evidence from a Survey Experiment,” American Political Science Review 104, no. 1 (February 2010): 61–84, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055409990372. 
  • Niklas Harder, Lucila Figueroa, Rachel M. Gillum, and Jens Hainmueller, “Multidimensional Measure of Immigrant Integration,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 45 (November 6, 2018): 11483–88, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1808793115. 
  • Ran Abramitzky and Leah Boustan, Streets of Gold: America’s Untold Story of Immigrant Success (New York: Public Affairs, 2022) 
  • National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, The Integration of Immigrants into American Society (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2015).
  • Ran Abramitzky, Leah Boustan, Katherine Eriksson, James Feigenbaum, and Santiago Pérez, “Automated Linking of Historical Data,” Journal of Economic Literature 59, no. 3 (September 2021): 865–918, https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.20201599. 
  • Andrés Villarreal and Christopher R. Tamborini, “Immigrants’ Economic Assimilation: Evidence from Longitudinal Earnings Records,” American Sociological Review 83, no. 4 (August 1, 2018): 686–715, https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122418780366. 
  • Ran Abramitzky, Leah Boustan, Elisa Jacome, and Santiago Pérez, “Intergenerational Mobility of Immigrants in the United States over Two Centuries,” American Economic Review 111, no. 2 (February 2021): 580–608, https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20191586. 
  • Herrison Chicas and Shimul Melwani, “Paying Off Intergenerational Debt: The Immigrant Bargain and Status-Striving Behaviors,” Academy of Management Proceedings, August 2022, https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2022.10725abstract. 
  • Regina Branton, “Latino Attitudes Toward Various Areas of Public Policy: The Importance of Acculturation,” Political Research Quarterly 60, no. 2 (June 1, 2007): 293–303, https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912907301983. 
  • Frédéric Docquier, Aysit Tansel, and Riccardo Turati, “Do Emigrants Self-Select Along Cultural Traits? Evidence from the MENA Countries,” International Migration Review 54, no. 2 (June 1, 2020): 388–422, https://doi.org/10.1177/0197918319849011. 
  • Bernt Bratsberg, Jeremy Ferwerda, Henning Finseraas, and Andreas Kotsadam, “How Settlement Locations and Local Networks Influence Immigrant Political Integration,” American Journal of Political Science 65, no. 3 (2021): 551–65, https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12532. 
  • “Religious Landscape Study—Immigrants,” Pew Research Center, 2014, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/. 
  • Paola Giuliano and Marco Tabellini, “The Seeds of Ideology: Historical Immigration and Political Preferences in the United States,” Working Paper 27238, National Bureau of Economic Research, May 2020, https://doi.org/10.3386/w27238. 
  • Jérôme Gonnot and Federica lo Polito, “Cultural Transmission and Political Attitudes: Explaining Differences Between Natives and Immigrants in Western Europe,” Working Paper 2023-12, CEPII Research Center, May 2023, https://ideas.repec.org//p/cii/cepidt/2023-12.html. 
  • Rafaela Dancygier and Elizabeth N. Saunders, “A New Electorate? Comparing Preferences and Partisanship Between Immigrants and Natives,” American Journal of Political Science 50, no. 4 (2006): 962–81, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540–5907.2006.00227.x
  • C. J. Uhlaner, B. E. Cain, and D. R. Kiewiet, “Political Participation of Ethnic Minorities in the 1980s,” Political Behavior 11, no. 3 (1989): 195–231; Branton, “Latino Attitudes Toward Various Areas of Public Policy.”
  • Sara Wallace Goodman, “Citizenship Studies: Policy Causes and Consequences,” Annual Review of Political Science 26, no. 1 (2023): 135–52, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-051921-102729. 
  • Jens Hainmueller, Dominik Hangartner, and Giuseppe Pietrantuono, “Catalyst or Crown: Does Naturalization Promote the Long-Term Social Integration of Immigrants?,” American Political Science Review 111, no. 2 (May 2017): 256–76, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055416000745. 
  • Jens Hainmueller, Dominik Hangartner, and Giuseppe Pietrantuono, “Naturalization Fosters the Long-Term Political Integration of Immigrants,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, no. 41 (October 13, 2015): 12651–56, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1418794112. 
  • Sandy Dietrich and Erik Hernandez, “Language Use in the United States: 2019,” United States Census Bureau, September 1, 2022, https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/acs/acs-50.html. 
  • Ran Abramitzky, Leah Boustan, and Katherine Eriksson, “Do Immigrants Assimilate More Slowly Today than in the Past?,” American Economic Review: Insights 2, no. 1 (March 2020): 125–41, https://doi.org/10.1257/aeri.20190079. 
  • Stefano Gagliarducci and Marco Tabellini, “Faith and Assimilation: Italian Immigrants in the US,” Working Paper 30003, National Bureau of Economic Research, April 2022, https://doi.org/10.3386/w30003. 
  • Daniel T. Lichter, Zhenchao Qian, and Dmitry Tumin, “Whom Do Immigrants Marry? Emerging Patterns of Intermarriage and Integration in the United States,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 662, no. 1 (November 1, 2015): 57–78, https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716215594614. 
  • Edward George Hartmann, The Movement to Americanize the Immigrant (New York: Columbia University Press, 2019).
  • Vasiliki Fouka, “What Works for Immigrant Integration? Lessons from the Americanization Movement,” 2020, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/What-Works-for-Immigrant-Integration-Lessons-from-Fouka/7413e988e69946f763e00641c336cf05a26ce0d1. 
  • Adriana Lleras-Muney and Allison Shertzer, “Did the Americanization Movement Succeed? An Evaluation of the Effect of English-Only and Compulsory Schooling Laws on Immigrants,” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 7, no. 3 (August 2015): 258–90, https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.20120219. 
  • Robert E. Slavin, Nancy Madden, Margarita Calderón, Anne Chamberlain, and Megan Hennessy, “Reading and Language Outcomes of a Multiyear Randomized Evaluation of Transitional Bilingual Education,” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 33, no. 1 (March 1, 2011): 47–58, https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373711398127 
  • Aimee Chin, N. Meltem Daysal, and Scott A. Imberman, “Impact of Bilingual Education Programs on Limited English Proficient Students and Their Peers: Regression Discontinuity Evidence from Texas,” Journal of Public Economics 107 (November 1, 2013): 63–78, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2013.08.008. 
  • Vasiliki Fouka, “Backlash: The Unintended Effects of Language Prohibition in U.S. Schools After World War I,” Review of Economic Studies 87, no. 1 (January 1, 2020): 204–39, https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdz024. 
  • Eric D. Gould and Esteban F. Klor, “The Long-Run Effect of 9/11: Terrorism, Backlash, and the Assimilation of Muslim Immigrants in the West,” Economic Journal 126, no. 597 (2016): 2064–2114, https://doi.org/10.1111/ecoj.12219. 
  • Alberto Dávila and Marie T. Mora, “Changes in the Earnings of Arab Men in the US Between 2000 and 2002,” Journal of Population Economics 18, no. 4 (November 1, 2005): 587–601, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-005-0050-y. 
  • Neeraj Kaushal, Robert Kaestner, and Cordelia Reimers, “Labor Market Effects of September 11th on Arab and Muslim Residents of the United States,” Journal of Human Resources 42, no. 2 (March 31, 2007): 275–308, https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.XLII.2.275. 
  • J. W. Berry, “Acculturation and Adaptation in a New Society,” International Migration 30, no. s1 (1992): 69–85, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.1992.tb00776.x
  • J. W. Berry, “Acculturation: A Conceptual Overview,” in Acculturation and Parent-Child Relationships: Measurement and Development (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006), 13–30.
  • John W. Berry, ed., Mutual Intercultural Relations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017).
  • Daniel J. Tichenor, Dividing Lines: The Politics of Immigration Control in America (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002).
  • Charles Hirschman, “The Contributions of Immigrants to American Culture,” Daedalus 142, no. 3 (2013): 10.1162/DAED_a_00217, https://doi.org/10.1162/DAED_a_00217. 
« »
Bookcover@2x

Get a Free Excerpt

Enter your email to get instant access to a free excerpt, of The Truth About Immigration and Zeke's Newsletter.
Scroll to Top