Immigrant-NaCve

RelaCons in
21st-Century America:
Intergroup Contact, Trust, and Civic
Engagement

Russell Sage FoundaCon
Cultural Contact and ImmigraCon Working Group
May 10, 2013

MICHAEL JONES-CORREA
POLITICAL SCIENCE, CORNELL UNIVERSITY

HELEN B. MARROW
SOCIOLOGY, TUFTS UNIVERSITY

DINA OKAMOTO
SOCIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS

LINDA R. TROPP
PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, AMHERST

New
D
emographic
C
ontext
i
n
t
he
U
.S.

Growing immigrant populaCon
Geographic dispersion to new immigrant desCnaCons
Increasing ethnic and racial diversity
Intergroup contact and trust


Research QuesCons

What do paXerns of intergroup contact look

like among immigrants and naCves?

How do these paXerns vary by social spaces?
How do contact experiences shape intergroup
trust and civic engagement?

Pilot Research Site: Philadelphia

Historically black-white race relaCons
Re-emerging immigrant gateway

Pilot Research Site: Philadelphia

Two largest immigrant groups: Indians, Mexicans
Largely suburban seXlement of immigrants

Philadelphia as a Context for Studying

Intergroup RelaCons
Tense racial history
DeindustrializaCon, suburbanizaCon, new pop. growth
Cosmopolitan canopy (Anderson 2011)
Philadelphia magazine story (2013)

Data and Methods

Pilot survey in Philadelphia (N=400), May-June 2012
Response rate = 14%
CooperaCon rate = 75%

DescripCve Findings from Pilot Survey

Mexicans appear to be the most isolated
Less intergroup interacCon in neighborhoods than
workplaces
Dierent relaCve statuses across spaces
Mexicans are the least trusCng, Indians are the
most trusCng, of other groups

Reported Levels of Never/Rarely Trust

DescripCve Findings from Pilot Survey

Legal status and religion were not clear status markers

Language/accent and racial discriminaCon in
workplaces and public spaces
Neighborhoods perceived as safe spaces

Perceived DiscriminaCon on the Basis

of Language and Race

Percent ReporCng Racial DiscriminaCon

50
45
40
35
30

Neighborhood

25

Workplace

20

Public Space

15
10
5
0
Black

Indian

Mexican

White


Findings from Pilot Survey

Equal status contact does not necessarily yield

comparable quality of contact


Findings from Pilot Survey

Equal status contact does not necessarily yield

comparable quality of contact


Findings from Pilot Survey

Quality rather than frequency of contact increases

intergroup trust
Secondary transfer eects (Peggrew 2009)
friendly contact with one outgroup increases trust
in other outgroups
Racial discriminaCon in public spaces is associated
with lower levels of intergroup trust

2
1
0

-1
-2
-3

Log odds of more vs. less trust

The Eect of Friendly Contact by
Experiences with Racial DiscriminaCon

Unfriendly

-1

Neutral

Quality of Workplace Contact

Discrimination

No Discrimination

Friendly


Summary of Pilot Survey Data

Race conCnues to be a key status marker for

immigrants and naCves
For all groups, contact across dierent social
spaces, moderated by percepCons of racial
discriminaCon, shapes trust in outgroups


Next Steps

Larger survey in Philadelphia and Atlanta (N=2,000)

250 of each target group in each metro
Fielding now (May-June 2013)
Even greater emphasis on cellphone sampling (30%)
SCll surveying Mexican immigrants in English or
Spanish (Indian immigrants only in English)
Now interviewing Indian immigrants using co-naConal
interviewers from ISAs oces in India

ComparaCve Research Site: Atlanta

Also historically black-white race relaCons
Economic/demographic growth + suburbanizaCon
Newly emerging immigrant gateway

ComparaCve Research Site: Atlanta

Two largest immigrant groups: Mexicans, Indians
Largely suburban seXlement of immigrants

Atlanta Context
Racial history less tense than other southern ciCes
New white and black in-migraCon
City Too Busy to Hate, Black Mecca
Severe anC-immigrant legislaCon at state level
2003: HB 501
2006: Georgia Security and ImmigraCon Compliance Act (SB 529)
2011: Illegal ImmigraCon Reform and Enforcement Act (HB 87)

Also local anC-immigrant acCvity

287g programs in Cobb, then GwinneX counCes

Results (Odem 2008; Browne and Odem 2012)

Climate of uncertainty and fear
Dominant racialized gure of the illegal Mexican
Have created a racial state

Chamblee
and Doraville
Smyrna and
MarieXa

Clayton
County

Lilburn

Site Visit to Atlanta:

What We Saw and Who We Met

Site Visit to Atlanta (March 1-4):

What We Saw and Who We Met

Rob Lundsten, Chief of Sta for the only Republican DeKalb

County Commissioner Elaine Boyer (District 1)

GA is a supermajority Republican state
With Edmond Richardson, works for District 5, says Atlanta never

dealt with our [b/w] race issues, & we need a frank discussion

Tyrone Forman, Amada Lewis, Mary Odem (Emory University)

Mary says GwinneX County on way to becoming majority minority
Law enforcement checkpoints in Cobb & GwinneX major problem

Site Visit to Atlanta (March 1-4):

What We Saw and Who We Met

Ade Nicholls, Georgia LaCno Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR)

We are in survival mode
Whites see Asians + than Latinos. We feel discriminated against,
and we dont know why. Is it because we are lighter, whiterskinned?
Relationship with local politicians is awkward / state ones
problem
Hard to find true allies / older black CRM leaders whats in it for
me?
Indian immigrants culturally different, more
conservative, not willing to risk an alliance with us

Site Visit to Atlanta (March 1-4):

What We Saw and Who We Met

Natalie Deckard, USF/GSU Sociology grad student in Lilburn

Agrees Latinos are the most looked down on / seen as stupid
Says also looked down on for being Catholics
Asian religions are completely off [whites/blacks] radar map
I am like Switzerland, or maybe North Korea? middle ground
between whites and blacks in her neighborhood

Site Visit to Atlanta (March 1-4):

What We Saw and Who We Met

Donna PiXman, rst female mayor of Doraville

With John King (aka, Juan Rey), supporCve police chief of Doraville
Doraville used to have church, now more commercial, aXracCon
Most anC-immigrant resentment is from older, reCred GM employees
Much surrounds upkeep of yards and homes (eg, bright paint colors)
Also code enforcement (eg, raising chickens, slaughtering goats)
Donnas daughter has a Viet-Amer boyfriend; Johns son a LaCno bf
Gegng to know immigrants teaches American youth to
empathize, be more thankful for what have

Site Visit to Atlanta (March 1-4):

What We Saw and Who We Met

Schools and churches have done good job reaching out, mentoring
John says Indians wont call the police for anything, so he doesnt

know about domesCc violence issues they might have; says LaCnos will
tend to call if overhear it among neighbors
They are working on starCng a business associaCon; it has one LaCno
and one Asian
So far no Indians (maybe South Asians?); they stay over here
Says Indians concentrated in hotels and small stores; Pakistanis in
convenience stores

Both want to see more immigrant involvement in poliCcs

Some in civic arena, but many cannot vote yet
Donna says some Indian immigrants sCll have trouble interacCng with
female poliCcal leadership; at least one has walked out on her

John says 287g was hijacked by sheris for poliCcal purposes

He wants to conserve resources for most dangerous criminals

Site Visit to Atlanta (March 1-4):

What We Saw and Who We Met

Jerey Tapia, execuCve director of LaCn American AssociaCon (LAA)

Huge cultural, educaConal, legal, service resource center in Doraville
CiCzenship, language, computer, educ mentoring classes, etc.
Nonprot, with lots of private funding
Grew up in Smyrna, Cobb County has always been closed
GwinneX has picked up a lot of immigraCon & resentment from Cobb
Says black-LaCno interacCon is in schools & lower-class workplaces
Some resentment, yes, but others working together
Black CRM groups wouldnt be against more advocacy, if we ask them
Many whites want to get to know immigrants, just dont know how
**Dont take lack of contact to mean no desire for it
We oer cultural events to help put them in contact
We are servicing more clients annually since 2010 (not a good thing)
Moving home/elsewhere, single-headed households, living on nothing

South Asian-LaCno RelaCons

Gegng gas in Doraville Monday morning in Chamblee

South Asian (probably Pakistani) staCon owner

LaCno day laborers all around
White construcCon employers driving through (very ecient)
Some laborers moCon to us, see if we want to hire
Police cars across street pulling over cars, laborers clearly watching
South Asian staCon owner oers Linda the second, private bathroom
inside / Linda gets lots of catcalls from laborers on way back to the car

South Asian-LaCno RelaCons

Other reports:
Donna PiXman says that Pakistani convenience store owners have asked
her for help in gegng law enforcement to stop cracking down on LaCno day
laborers (ruins business)
Ade Nicholls of GLAHR: Indian orgs dont feel engaged in immigraCon
issues with us / we dont relate over class & immgn. entry divides / they
dont want to risk an alliance with us, would rather keep their heads
down
Some South Asian taxi drivers now chofer to LaCnos, but its for
business, not a solidarity thing


Next Steps
New quesCons in our full survey (30-35 minutes)
last workplace composiCon (for the unemployed)
perpetrators of discriminaCon
quality and frequency of contact in public spaces
workplace and neighborhood composiCon
civic engagement
cross-streets
apathy and empathy
welcoming to and welcomed by
interest in gegng to know
opinion on undocumented immigraCon policy


Next Steps
In-depth interviews for summer 2014 (N=240)
30 with each target group in each metro area
How to select?
RSF reviewers want us to choose a random sample
from the surveys / Some of us want to target more
unique & theoreCcally interesCng cases instead
Pros vs. cons?

Brief observaCons of interacCons in public spaces

Approximately 3-4 neighborhoods in both areas
Esp. useful for tapping into public space interacCons, &
schools and religious orgs?
Pros vs. cons? LogisCcs of carrying them out?


Next Steps
Papers for conference presentaCons
ASA
ISSP


Thank you!

Past Research on Intergroup Contact and

Threat


Focus on black-white
relaCons
Focus on dominant group
ConaCon of race and SES in
contact literature

The Role of Intergroup Contact

Group threat and compeCCon theories

Increasing group size negaCve agtudes

toward racial minioriCes

Contact theory
Face-to-face contact intergroup trust

Groups of Interest
NaCve-born groups
Whites, Blacks

Immigrant groups
Mexicans, Indians

Immigrants Lack of Contact with

NaCve Groups

NaCves Lack of Contact with

Immigrant Groups

NaCves PercepCons of Very

Friendly Contact with Immigrant
Groups

Immigrants PercepCons of Very

Friendly Contact with NaCve Groups

Percent IndicaCng No Friends from

Other Groups


Black
Indian
Mexican
White

BL IND
2 32
25 2
47 35
25 31

MX WH
31 41
30 13
1 44
39 3

Reported Levels of Trust in Mexican

Immigrants

Reported Levels of Trust in Indian

Immigrants
80
70
60
50

Never
Rarely

40

SomeCmes

30

O{en

20
10
0
Black

Indian

Mexican

White

Reported Levels of Trust in NaCve-Born

Blacks

Reported Levels of Trust in NaCve-Born

Whites

Percent ReporCng Language DiscriminaCon

25

20

15

Neighborhood
Workplace

10

Public Space

0
Indian

Mexican

Percent ReporCng Racial DiscriminaCon

35
30
25
20

Neighborhood
Workplace

15

Public Space

10
5
0
Indian

Mexican

Reported Levels of O{en Trust

Site Visit to Atlanta:

Purposeful SelecCons for Future Work

1. DeKalb into GwinneX counCes:
Chamblee
Doraville

2. Cobb County:
Smyrna
MarieXa

3. Possible others:

Dunwoody/Perimeter Ctr (DeKalb)

Lilburn (DeKalb)
Clarkston (DeKalb)
Northern Clayton county

White Black Asian LaCno

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