Exploring Social Cohesion and Perceptions of the Policy Context Among Asian and Latinx Immigrants in California: Findings from the Rights Survey

Background and Purpose:

In an era marked by increasing globalization and diverse migration patterns, understanding the dynamics of immigrant integration is of paramount importance. This study examined immigrants’ perceptions of the policy context and how that might influence their interactions within the host society, which might play a role in shaping social cohesion and civic engagement using a sample of Asian and Latinx immigrants in California. Although existing research highlights multiple factors influencing social cohesion in the host society, very few quantitative studies have included objective measures of state immigration policy and/or perceptions of policy. Many studies have focused on single policies, however, the policy context in California may be experienced as a combination of state and local inclusionary and exclusionary policies in different domains such as employment, social services, healthcare, and immigration enforcement. Using ordinal logistic regression, this study explored the effect perceptions of the policy context has on the social cohesion and civic engagement of immigrants living in California.

Methods: This study used cross-sectional secondary data from the 2018, 2019, and 2020 Research on Immigrant Health and State Policy (RIGHTS) survey. The total sample included 2,010 respondents. Social cohesion was measured with 3 Likert-scale questions that asked whether they felt safe in their neighborhood, people in the neighborhood were willing to help each other, and people in their neighborhood can be trusted. Civic engagement was measured using 2 Likert-scale questions that asked if they were involved with any groups in their community and if they participated in an act of civic or political engagement. Ordinal logistic regression was run in STATA, the main predictor was perceptions of the policy context using a continuous variable. We also included other variables in the model including ethnicity, legal status, age, marital status, federal poverty level, educational level, and length of residency in the U.S.

Results: Findings showed an association between perceptions of the policy context and feeling safe in their neighborhood. In addition, participating in an act of civic or political engagement was also significantly associated with perceptions of the policy context. Other factors such as age, citizenship status, educational status, federal poverty level, and length of residency in the US emerged as important predictors in shaping immigrants’ perceptions of social cohesion and trust in their neighborhoods. Results showed Latinos were 30% less likely to respond that people in their neighborhood were willing to help each other compared to Asian participants. Furthermore, people living above the federal poverty level are 1.3 times more likely to say their neighborhood was more welcoming than people who respondents who were living under the federal poverty level.

Conclusion and Implications: This study contributes to the growing literature on immigrant integration and social cohesion by offering insights into the experiences and perceptions of immigrant communities. By highlighting the factors that underpin social cohesion and its interface with the policy context, our findings hold implications for policy makers, community stakeholders, and scholars seeking to foster inclusive societies and promote immigrant well-being.