Immigrants from different regions of the world, including Asia and Latin America, now make up a significant proportion of the United States' immigrant population.
The children of immigrants consistently exhibit higher levels of upward mobility compared to US-born children.
The availability of digitized census records and data linkage techniques have improved the analysis of social mobility and assimilation rates over time.
Deep dives
Comparison of past and present emigration
In the past, immigrants primarily came from Europe, while now they come from all over the world, with a large percentage from Asia and Latin America. Additionally, immigration rules have become stricter, with more bureaucracy involved. The number of visas is limited, leading to a quarter of the immigrant population being undocumented. Historically, there was a negative sentiment towards immigration, and even today there is some negative sentiment, but there is also a group that is pro-immigration. Overall, immigrants make up the same proportion of the population now as they did in the past.
Mobility and assimilation
The mobility of immigrants themselves in the past did not follow the 'rags to riches' narrative often believed. Some immigrant groups started off better than US-born workers, while others started off worse and did not catch up. However, the children of immigrants, by the second generation, consistently outperformed US-born children, showing greater upward mobility. This pattern holds true for both past and present immigrants, and their children tend to move up the income distribution, surpassing their US-born peers.
Data availability and imputation
The availability of data has improved with the digitization of historical records and the use of platforms like Ancestry.com. By linking census records from different periods and utilizing occupation, age, and location, it becomes possible to estimate income for earlier periods where direct income data is lacking. Although there are limitations and assumptions in the imputation process, the results provide valuable insights into mobility and economic progress for immigrants and their children.
Assimilation rates of immigrants have remained consistent over time
The podcast discusses how the assimilation rates of immigrants have remained consistent over time. The hosts present findings from the analysis of data from Ancestry.com, which includes digitized census records and birth certificates. The researchers examined factors like learning English, intermarriage, and choice of names for children to measure assimilation. Surprisingly, the pace of assimilation among immigrants today is similar to that of the past. The findings challenge the myth that immigrants today assimilate at a slower rate due to increased multiculturalism. The researchers highlight the importance of taking a long-term perspective when studying immigration and measuring assimilation rates.
Linking historical data helps evaluate social mobility and progress
The podcast highlights the significance of linking historical data to evaluate social mobility and progress over time. By linking digitized census records, researchers can track individuals and their families as they transition through different stages of life. This longitudinal data allows for a deeper understanding of topics like education, income, social mobility, and the intergenerational transmission of economic outcomes. The researchers stress that analyzing progress over time requires a linked dataset to accurately assess changes in individuals' circumstances. This approach dispels myths and provides valuable insights into historical trends, such as the impact of immigration and the reality of the American Dream for different generations.
Immigration to the United States, say Ran Abramitzky and Leah Boustan, is more novel than short story: It takes decades for new immigrants to catch up economically. But their kids on average thrive economically and have higher rates of upward mobility than American-born kids. Abramitzky and Boustan talk about their book Streets of Gold with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Using an extraordinary data set of millions of Americans, Boustan and Abramitzky find that today's immigrants and their children are surprisingly similar to yesterday's.
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