Effects of School Segregation on Migrant Origin Youths' National Identification: Evidence from Sweden

• In Event: 3254 - How Families, Neighborhoods, and Schools Shape Immigrant Lives

Abstract

The extent of socioeconomic integration among immigrants in Western countries receives considerable scholarly attention, yet the processes and pace by which immigrants and their children identify with the destination nationality is less well understood. Ethnic identity, meanwhile, has been established as a central aspect of identity formation during adolescence, especially for minority youth. It is also clear that ethnic identification is context-dependent. This study explores the relationship between school segregation and students' self-identification with Swedish nationality, using a nationally representative survey of adolescents in Sweden. Net of individual traits and school fixed effects, the proportion of students with native-born parents in one's class is positively related to the strength of Swedish identification for students who have immigrated and for those whose parents immigrated to Sweden. This evidence suggests that ethnic segregation across schools inhibits the extent to which children of immigrants see themselves as a part of the nation, and this gap increases as children age.

Author

• Saul Thorkelson, Princeton University