This research is part of a larger international project, the International Comparative Study of Ethno-cultural Youth, undertaken in 13 countries with almost 8,000 adolescents and young adults. The project relies on survey methodology to examine a range of intracultural and intercultural variables, such as ethnic and English language proficiency and use, peer contacts, identity, acculturation attitudes, family values, perceived discrimination, and both psychological (life satisfaction and psychological symptoms) and social (school adjustment and behavioural problems) domains of adaptation. The larger project also concerns itself with the relationship between intercultural factors and adaptation outcomes.
This report is based on a subset of the New Zealand data and provides:
1. a generational analysis of the experiences of migrant youth
2. where appropriate, comparisons between migrant and national youth.
The comparisons are based on the responses of 1,226 New Zealand adolescents and young adults; that is, 744 migrant and 482 national (New Zealand European and Mori) youth. The migrant sample includes 201 first generation (immigrant youth who were born overseas and arrived in New Zealand after the age of 12), 402 1.5 generation (immigrant youth who were born overseas and arrived in New Zealand by the age of 12) and 141 second generation (New Zealand-born youth with both parents born overseas) adolescents and young adults.
Key Results
Overall, the results of this research are in accordance with international findings on generational changes in migrant communities. The key findings show:
1. Migrant youth have a strong orientation towards their heritage culture, and this largely remains stable across generations as evidenced by strong ethnic identity and frequent contact with ethnic peers; however, ethnic language use and proficiency decrease over successive generations.
2. Migrant youth increasingly orient themselves towards the larger New Zealand society. This is evidenced by an increase in national identity, an increase in national peer contacts and more frequent use of and greater proficiency in English over successive generations.
3. There are variations in acculturation attitudes over generations. Integration (the preference to maintain cultural heritage and participate in the wider society) is strongly endorsed and remains stable over generations. In contrast, while assimilation (participation gained at the expense of cultural maintenance) is not widely endorsed, it is better accepted amongst second generation youth.
4. There are few changes in family values over generations, although first generation migrants see parental obligations as more important than their second generation peers. All migrant groups are less likely to endorse children’s rights and more likely to endorse parental obligations than national youth.
5. Migrant youth report more discrimination than their national peers, but this does not vary significantly over generations.
6. Migrant youth fare as well or better than their national counterparts in terms of psychological adaptation. There are no significant differences in life satisfaction between groups; however, migrant youth report fewer symptoms of psychological distress. Psychological symptomatology does not vary across generations.
7. Migrant youth report better social adaptation than their national peers; however, there is some evidence that this advantage diminishes over successive generations. For example, second generation migrants report more behavioural problems and poorer school adjustment than their first and 1.5 generation counterparts.
The findings converge to suggest that a view to the future should consider ways in which participation can be encouraged without threat to cultural maintenance in migrant communities. This is in line with the government’s objective of promoting social cohesion in culturally diverse Aotearoa/New Zealand (New Zealand Settlement Strategy, 2007).