Second Generation Advantage Among Asians: Does Volunteerism Facilitate Voting?

Hiromi Ishizawa , The George Washington University

Asians are less likely to vote compared to whites. However, Asians, especially second generation Asians, engage in volunteerism at a higher rate compared to whites. While past studies have shown a positive association between volunteerism and political participation, we do not yet know how this association may vary by race/ethnic immigrant generational status. Using the ELS: 2002 dataset, this study asks: (1) Does voluntary participation increase the likelihood of voting among second generation Asians? If so, are the effects as large, or larger than they are for third+ generation whites?, and (2) Does the effects of voluntary participation on voting vary by intensity of volunteerism? We expect to find that the effect of volunteerism on voting to be stronger for second generation Asians than for third+ generation whites since second generation Asians were found to be participating in volunteer activities at a higher rate for all levels of frequency.

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 Presented in Session 7. Migration & Urbanization