Intergenerational Influences of Citizenship Status, Family Factors, and Neighborhood Context on Educational Attainment Among Second-Generation Immigrant Youth

Kazumi Tsuchiya , University of Michigan
Amy Schulz, University of Michigan
Ann Lin, University of Michigan
Kai Cortina, University of Michigan
Cleopatra Caldwell, University of Michigan

Understanding factors that influence post-secondary educational attainment among immigrant families is critical as it may have implications for their social mobility. Several studies have examined family and neighborhood factors on educational outcomes; however, limited research has examined citizenship status as a social determinant of immigrant social mobility in conjunction with these critical factors on educational attainment for immigrant young adults. We examine whether post-secondary educational attainment may vary among second-generation immigrant young adults by parent perceptions of citizenship status, family and neighborhood factors. For this analysis, we used the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study to examine these links among 1748 parent-young adult dyads. Young adults with a citizen parent were more likely to obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to those with a non-citizen parent (p<0.01). These results suggest that parent citizenship status may be associated with immigrant youth’s educational outcomes. Implications for intergenerational mobility will be discussed.

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 Presented in Session 2. Children & Youth