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