Chinese Assimilation Across America: Spatial and Cohort Variations

ABSTRACT Portes and Borocz's (1989) segmented assimilation framework argued that the assimilation of immigrants into American society does not necessarily or automatically lead to similarity and equality with the mainstream culture. Instead, endowed human capital, the nature of immigration, and reception contextualize the process and potentially lead to differential outcomes. Recognizing that spatial differences in assimilation may also exist, the segmented assimilation framework is extended within this paper to include a more explicit recognition of geography's role in shaping the assimilation trajectory. The empirical analysis draws upon the 1980 and 1990 PUMS data files, and compares the assimilation trajectory of Chinese immigrants (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwanese origins) across the New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. Based upon period of arrival and age in 1980 and 1990, measures of assimilation are compared across these three metropolitan areas, along with the role of internal migration in maintaining or decreasing assimilation differences. The analysis indicates that the progress of assimilation varies significantly over space, with spatial differences in measures of assimilation persisting over time, despite the role of internal migration. Reasons as to why this occurs are presented in the conclusion.