Houstonians are increasingly concerned about immigration and its effects on the region, according to the latest annual Houston-Area Survey. But survey research also shows Latino immigrants are quickly assimilating into U.S. society.
The 2008 survey, designed and directed by Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology at Rice University, and his students, was conducted by the Center for Public Policy at the University of Houston between Feb. 15 and March 5.
The number of respondents who described the arrival of large numbers of illegal immigrants as a "very serious" problem for Houston rose from 43 percent in 2006 to 61 percent this year.
By far the most frequently cited reason for this concern was the perceived strain on public services caused by illegal immigrants.
The negative attitudes have spread beyond undocumented immigrants. The proportion of area residents who favor taking action to reduce the number of new immigrants, legal and otherwise, coming to the U.S. grew from 48 percent in 2004 to 63 percent this year.
"No matter how you ask the question," Klineberg said, "every measure shows growing anti-immigrant sentiment."
The data on the actual experiences of Latino immigrants in Houston, meanwhile, reveal a steady and rapid assimilation into the American mainstream.
The proportion of immigrants who report household incomes above $35,000, for example, increases from 16 percent for those who have lived in the U.S. for nine years or less, to 22 percent for those who have been here more than nine years and 42 percent for those who have been here more than 19 years. The numbers rise to 52 percent in the second generation (U.S.-born Latinos with immigrant parents) and to 57 percent in the third generation.
Similarly, the proportion of Latino respondents who conducted the interviews in English rather than Spanish rises from 17 percent among the most recent immigrants to 49 percent of those who have lived in the U.S. for 20 years or more, and to 98 percent of third-generation Latinos.
