Judit Molnár
University of Washington & University of Glasgow 2009 The Sixteenth Annual
Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies
Northwest Conference, April 17, 2010 Bellingham, Washington
European Commission , Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship
Project title:
Between Segregation and Social Immigration: Recent Immigrants and Foreign Workers in the USA and in the UK
Target group:
immigrants from the former Soviet Union from 1990
Project coordinator:
Prof. David Smith, University of Glasgow, CEES, head of department
Project mentor at the UW:
Prof. Matthew Spark, Department of Geography
Model of the integration process of immigrants
Immigration from the former Soviet Union
Data
Immigrants from the former Soviet Union in Washington State
Characteristics of the group using PUMS data analysis
Characteristics of the group using questionaire survey data analysis
Summary
Segmented assimilation framework
Nature of immigration
Voluntary Forced
Resources of immigrants
savings, human capital
Host country reception
policy, immigration law,
level of discrimination,
racism Economic circumstances
Time and spatial factors
Period of arrival (regional, national forces: labor markets,
economic opportunities) Place of resettlement
Adaptation to the new place
and society
Characteristics and resources of
immigrants
savings, education, social capital,
culture,
nationality, ethnicity,
religion, race, voluntary or forced immigrants,
legal or illegal immigrants, etc.
Characteristics and reception of
the place of destination
immigration policy and law,
level of discrimination, racism,
culture, economic structure and
opportunities, rural or urban area, micro-social environment, etc.
0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000 1,000,000 1,200,000 1,400,000 1,600,000 1,800,000
1850 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 2010 former USSR
1880-1917
For religious, political, and socioeconomic reasons. Almost 50.000 Russians settled in the region by the beginning of the Russian Revolution in 1917.
1917-1945
At the end of the Russian civil war in 1922, thousands who were fleeing the Soviet regime arrived in the US and Canada. They left Russia to escape religious and political persecution.
1924: restrictive immigration laws were passed and became effective in 1929. The National Origins Act established the annual
immigration quota at 150,000, with total number per country dependent on percentages of population already living in the United States.
Source
To the West Coast
four waves of Russian migration
after the first movement to Alaska in 1867
(HARDWICK, S. W. 1993)
1945-1987
A variety of Russian religious groups arrived on the North American
Pacific Rime after World War II.
Many Russians lived in China. During the Chinese civil war from 1946 to 1949 tens of thousands of Russians who had been living in China were forced to leave the country
No large scale exodus occurred until the late 1980s from the former
Soviet Union.
After 1987
1987 President Gorbachev met with President Reagan: residents of the USSR were free to leave. This
announcement triggered the first large scale emigration from the
Soviet Union since the early years of the socialist revolution.
To the West Coast
four waves of Russian migration
after the first movement to Alaska in 1867
(HARDWICK, S. W. 1993)source
Resources and characteristics of immigrants
(HARDWICK, S. W. 1993)
Russians have not been typical of other Euroamerican immigrant groups in North America
Russian residential enclaves have been relatively slow to disperse through time – slow assimilation
They live and they tend to live in isolated enclaves
because of their
religion(Orthodox, Old Believers, Doukhobors, Molokans, Baptists, Pentacostals)
because of their experience at home (persecution,
discrimination, etc.)
Host country reception:
level of discrimination
(HARDWICK, S. W. 1993)
Russians have not been typical of other Euroamerican
immigrant groups in North America
Russian residential enclaves have been relatively slow to disperse through time –
slow assimilation
They had to bear the burden of negative perception
because of Communism
because of the perception that Russia is not truly European
Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) 2000 and 2006-08
Different dataset (the individual records were expanded the sample to the relevant total in 2000, but 2006-08)
Different period of time
Using „rate views”
Statistical analysis of semi-structured interviews (questionnaires)
50 questionnaires from Washington State during the period from May 2009 to early 2010
mainly from Vancouver, WA and the Greater Seattle area
Qualitative interviewing
to help with the design of the questionnaire (6)
to complement the questionnaires’ data (8+4)
Characteristics of the group using PUMS data analysis
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
1924 1926 1928 1935 1937 1939 1941 1943 1945 1947 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005
percent of the total who entered
2000 2006-08
source: U.S. Census Bureau. 2006-2008 ACS 3-year PUMS files and 2000 PUMS files
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
2000 U.S. citizen by naturalization 2006-08 U.S. citizen by naturalization
source: U.S. Census Bureau. 2006-2008 ACS 3-year PUMS files and 2000 PUMS files
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
percent
2000 has a degree older than 20 2006-08 has a degree older than 20
source: U.S. Census Bureau. 2006-2008 ACS 3-year PUMS files and 2000 PUMS files
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
value of the index
2000 English ability 2006-08 English ability
source: U.S. Census Bureau. 2006-2008 ACS 3-year PUMS files and 2000 PUMS files
Characteristics of the group using survey data analysis
men women Why did they leave
their home countries? %
Unfavorable economic
circumstances 33.33 16.13
Religious discrimination 11.11 32.26
Ethnic discrimination 44.44 25.81
Better economic situation in the
USA 38.89 25.81
Better future for their children 33.33 38.71 Would they like to
return there? %
No 50.0 70.97
Yes 16.7 3.22
Maybe 33.33 22.58
Men Women Spouses/F Spouses/M
Age /mean 45.18 42.83
Age when they entered / mean 35.17 33.52 38.85 42.86
No good English when they entered % 61.1 77.4 53.3 82.4
Good English now (scale 0-3) 2.22 2.03 2.07 1.94
Education: college or university degree
% 66.7 51.6 80 58.8
They did study in the USA % 66.67 77.4 78.6 63.2
They studied at the university/college
% 33.33 38.71 78.6 63.2
They studied in the language school % 27.78 29.03 27.3 44.4
Men Women Spouses/F Spouses/M Year when they entered / mean 1999.44 2000.74
Came directly to this area % 61.1 77.4 Months after they entered the
US they found a job 9.25 7.40 14.00 5.33
Men Women Spouses/F Spouses/M How happy
they were/are (scale 1-5)
when they
entered 3.71 3.63 3.60 3.84
and now 4.28 4.16 4.07 4.53
to live
Russia 3.50 3.43
Their national identity %
Russian 61.1 64.52
Russian
American 0 6.45
No 11.1 6.45
Proud of their nationalities
(scale 1-5) 3.56 3.38
men women know people (relatives/friends) in the area before they came
here % 66.67 80.64
have friends now in the area where they live (scale 0:no – 4:
a lot) 3.06 3.23
live in the area where other Russian speaking people live % 77.8 67.7
Their friends’
nationalities
%
Only Russians 11.11 12.90
Mainly Russian speaking people, few
Americans 27.78 19.35
Russian speaking people and
Americans mixed 11.11 12.90
Russian speaking people, Americans, other Europeans and other
nationalities mixed 5.56 25.81
Their closest friends’
nationalities %
Russian speaking people and / or
Russian Americans 66.67 48.39
men women
General opinion about the USA % The best 83.33 77.42
What they like the best in the USA, %
Lots of opportunity
(economic, edu.) 27.78 25.81
Mentality of people 27.78 25.81
Freedom 22.22 19.35
High living standard 11.11 19.35
Tranquility 11.11 9.68
men women Why it is beneficial
living in the USA, % Good career and living standard 38.89 51.61
Learn English 22.22 19.35
Religious freedom 11.11 12.91
Independence 11.11 16.13
Education system 16.67 12.91
The greatest
challenges living in the USA, %
Language 50 67.74
Different custom 11.11 19.35
Hard to get the best position 22.22 16.13
men women Received help to settle down, financial support % 55.56 54.84 Received help to settle down, information % 50 29.03
scale 1:never – 4:very often men women discrimination because of their nationalities 1.35 1.42 uncomfortable feeling because they are foreign 1.94 1.93 feeling that they are not welcome because of their
nationalities 1.50 1.87
disadvantages because of their English 2.22 2.79
men women
Their citizenship % Russian 50.0 29.03
American 33.3 48.39
Russian and American 11.1 9.68
The PUMS and our data suggest that the structures of the arrivals from the former SU’s countries have changed since 1990s
Immigrants movement from these countries were selective (young and educated population)
However, these immigrants experience difficulties at the begining, and they have to work very hard. They might not be able to work in the same profession, but they are able to provide significant opportunities for their children without any considerable disadvantage in comparison with the host society’s families.
They receive very little or no discrimination or exclusion
