Segmentation or assimilation: residential patterns of the second generation of new immigrant groups

Eric Fong, University of Toronto
Feng Hou, Statistics Canada

The topic of the second generation of new immigrant groups has drawn considerable attention in recent years. One of the major research issues is the progress of the second generation among these new immigrant groups whose came from non-European countries. Drawing from the segmented assimilation perspective, some studies argue that integration was difficult for the second generation of some groups due to their limited socioeconomic resources, while it was easier for others with more socioeconomic resources. However, Alba and Nee recently showed that all groups have shown progress in the path of assimilation. The proposed study uses a unique set of data taken from 2001 Canadian Census at the individual level with link to the census tract information, and explores the residential integration among the second generation of six recent immigrant groups in major Canadian cities. Hierarchical linear model will be used to differentiate individual socioeconomic and city contextual effects.