Assimilation or Ethnic Revival? Immigration Attitudes, Immigrant Generation, Race, and Ethnicity in the United States

Introduction This study examines how immigration attitudes vary across immigrant generations and racial and ethnic groups in the United States, evaluating competing expectations derived from assimilation theory, segmented assimilation theory, and the third‐generation return (ethnic revival) hypothesis. Methods Using nationally representative data from the 2004–2024 General Social Survey (GSS), we estimate generalized ordered logit models and predicted probabilities to analyze ordinal measures of immigration attitudes across immigrant generations and racial and ethnic groups. Results First‐generation immigrants exhibit significantly more favorable immigration attitudes than later‐generation individuals. Contrary to the third‐generation return hypothesis, third‐generation or higher individuals do not exhibit more favorable attitudes than second‐generation individuals. Instead, immigration attitudes become less favorable across successive generations, consistent with assimilation theory. These generational patterns vary across racial and ethnic groups: Non‐Hispanic White respondents show the largest shift toward less favorable attitudes across generations, while non‐Hispanic Black and Hispanic respondents maintain more favorable attitudes even in later generations. Conclusion Immigration attitudes reflect racially stratified processes of intergenerational assimilation consistent with segmented assimilation theory, rather than symbolic ethnic revival, underscoring the importance of examining immigrant generation and race jointly in studies of public opinion.