2nd-gen immigrants pull ahead in US, Canada, Australia

In a new study published by the journal Social Science Research, sociology professor Jeffrey G. Reitz and PhD candidate Naoko Hawkins from the University of Toronto and Heather Zhang from McGill University examined survey and census data to compare the achievements of immigrants and their offspring.

“From a Canadian perspective, the findings are a welcome indication that the children of immigrants are doing well,” says Reitz. “However, those who have attributed such success to distinctive Canadian integration policies such as multiculturalism will find their views refuted by the fact that similar success is experienced by the children of similar immigrants in the United States and Australia.”

Data from previous research showed that immigrants in the US, Canada, and Australia have varied degrees of success due to each country’s different educational and labor market institutions, Reitz said. For instance, in the US, Chinese immigrants often have fewer years of education than the mainstream population; in Australia, they have more.

http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/2nd-gen-immigrants-pull-ahead-in-us-canada-australia/