The Evolution of Immigration Attitudes in America

The Influence of Social Environment and Cultural Evolution

Introduction

Just bringing up the topic of immigration to many people makes their blood boil. It is a heated and contested topic that continues to divide our country with no clear satisfactory solution in sight. It did not use to be this way. What happened then? As previously discussed, American culture and World culture continue to evolve, unguided, and the behavior and attitudes we have about immigration are an unintended consequence of the unguided cultural evolution, behavior, and attitudes change - out of control. We think we all can agree that immigration in the U.S. is a mess. Remember, behavior change and culture change have a reciprocal relationship. To find the driving causes for these changes we need to look at the social environment where behavior occurs. 

In The Upswing (2020), Putnam and Garrett give us an exquisite and very detailed analysis and quantification of the immigration swings in the U.S. They noted; “Foreign-born inhabitants as a fraction of the U.S. population fell from a high of about 15 percent in 1910 to a low of about 5 percent, a decline attributable to the imposition of strict immigration limits by the Immigration Act of 1924. The Immigration Act of 1965 reopened America to immigrants and the fraction of immigrants (lawful and unlawful status) rose steadily over the next half-century from 5 percent to about 14 percent” (and it continues to grow). They write that these swings are driven by “human agency” - that is our behavior.

Upon analyzing their data, Putnam and Garrett observed that the claim that immigration promotes selfishness may appear to be more challenging to disprove. In fact, one of the researchers became somewhat infamous for proposing that cultural diversity causes individuals to become more inward-looking. However, the study concluded that this association only holds in the short term. With appropriate policies and over time, social divisions can eventually be replaced by broader identities, leading to the formation of a more inclusive and expansive sense of "We." Putnam and Garret concluded, “The changes in America between roughly 1960, and roughly 1975 were so head-spinning as to be palpable to most people living through them” They conclude, “…mainstream America entered the Sixties in an increasingly ‘We’ mode - with communes, shared values, and accelerating efforts toward racial and economic equality - and we left the Sixties in an increasingly ‘I’ mode - focused on ‘rights,’ culture wars, and what would be almost instantly dubbed the ‘Me Decade’ of the 1970s.”

Immigration Before 2010

Immigration to the United States is a multifactorial and difficult topic to assess and quantify. The book "Immigrant America" by Portes and Rumbaut (2014) is an excellent source of well-researched data on immigration up until that time. There is one undeniable fact, and that is that the United States of America is a country in which WE are immigrants from diverse countries and cultures that have been weaved together in "the melting pot."

Nonetheless, there have been contentions that the idea of a melting pot never came to fruition (for instance, Glazer and Moynihan's research in "Beyond the Melting Pot" (1964) centered on minority groups in New York City). Portes and Rumbaut, in their publication, reached the conclusion that "the melting pot did indeed happen. It just did not happen to all in equal measure.” By examining second-generation immigrants, they argued that "Most attuned to American Culture and fluent in English, the offsprings of immigrants have gained voice and have used it to reaffirm identities attacked previously with such impunity." During those times, societal norms and rules (the cement that binds society - how people are expected to behave) were more clearly defined and adhered to.

In their book, From Immigrants to Ethnics (2014), Portes and Rumbaut concluded that "assimilation to America has seldom taken place in the way recommended by nativists. Instead, the reaffirmation of distinct cultural identities - whether actual or manufactured in the United States - has been the rule among foreign groups and has represented the first effective step in their social and political incorporation. Ethnic solidarity has provided the basis for the pursuit of collaborative goals in the American political system." They point out, "Assimilation, the immediate transformation of immigrants into Americans 'just as everyone else' has never happened." The education and assimilation of immigrants have remained unguided and have slowly evolved with the unintended consequences of what we see today, identity politics so emblematic of the I-only trend of recent years.

It's crucial to recognize that the issue doesn't lie with immigration or immigrants themselves, but with our failure as a nation to establish a structured, managed process that provides guidance and instruction to assist new arrivals in becoming successful citizens who can make valuable contributions to society. Additionally, we must acknowledge our neglect of the power of the environment to shape our current state of division and decline through our unguided actions. We have left an essential process to chance, which underscores the importance of learning American history and civics. For example, according to a 2018 survey conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 24% of U.S. eighth-graders scored at or above proficiency level in civics. This suggests that there may be a need for increased emphasis on civics education in schools across the country.

It is an evolutionary process and will take some time to restore us to engage in prosocial behavior as the most frequent cultural behavior and to create social and cultural capital through our interactions and prosocial relationships. It starts with prosocial "weaving" in small groups and communities. However, we need to accept the fact that in order to accomplish behavior change toward the greater good and restore civility, the environmental process needs to be guided and measured. This requires a revision of "my rights" and "my personal freedom" as well as "what about me,” and to focus on the development of behavior associated with "my responsibility towards the greater good." In other words, making prosocial behavior and behaving to benefit the culture reinforcing and sustaining. That is how prosocial behavior is selected. (More on this is coming!) It will require a total reconception of how individual and collective behavior is shaped and maintained. The natural science of behavior and the social sciences have much to contribute. We have previously given insight into some of these science-based principles and practices. The environment in which we live provides the contingencies that shape and maintain our behavior. It is not "in our head!"

There has also been much debate and questioning as to whether multicultural immigration, contributing to ethnic diversity and social heterogeneity, is good or bad for the U.S. Putnam addressed this question in 2007 when receiving the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science." He noted, “the debate needs to be informed by our best efforts to ascertain the facts." We should focus on Putnam's emphasis to make informed decisions based on data, not as our policymakers do. He proposed a scientific evaluation of immigration and challenged us to engage in "a larger project on how to manage the challenge that immigration and diversity pose to social capital and solidarity." He continued, "my hunch is that at the end we shall see that the challenge is best met not by making 'them' like 'us,' but rather by creating a new, more capricious sense of 'we,' a reconstruction of diversity that does not bleach out ethnic specificity but creates overarching identities that ensure that those specificities do not trigger the allergic 'hunker down' reaction.” In conclusion, the goal is "namely to create a novel 'one' out of a diversity of 'many.'" This is similar to what Portes and Rumbaut found in their research.

What Putnam proposed in 2007 is what needs to be done NOW. Immigration is one of the most pressing and important tasks our government performs. Right now there is consensus that the process of immigration and integration is a total mess. Putnam's guided integration approach based on scientifically arrived reliable data is consistent with our proposal for a guided cultural evolutionary process to shape our behavior that benefits the culture, such as being prosocial.

Immigration Now

Pew Research Center provides very detailed raw data and facts about U.S. immigrants and immigrants’ naturalization. They have published two studies in the last couple of years. We will not go into great detail but we encourage you to look at the data Pew Research provides.

The first study was published on 8/20/2020 - Key Findings About U.S. Immigrants. The statistics we provide are limited but they give us a good window:

1. The U.S. foreign-born population reached a record 44.8 million in 2018.

2. Most immigrants are in the country unlawfully, but almost a quarter are not.

3. Not all lawful permanent residents choose to pursue U.S. citizenship.

4. Since the creation of the federal Refugee Resettlement Program in 1980, about 3 million refugees have resettled in the U.S. - more than any other country.

5. Immigrants in the U.S. as a whole have lower levels of education than those born in the U.S.

6. Among immigrants ages 5 and older in 2018, half (53%) are proficient English speakers.

7. The longer the immigrants have lived in the U.S., the greater the likelihood they are English proficient.

8. Overall, the majority of Americans have positive views about immigrants.

9. Americans are divided on future levels of immigration.

The second study was published on 12/01/2022 - After Declining Early Covid-19 Outbreak, Immigrant Naturalizations in the U.S. are Rising Again:

1. More than 900,000 immigrants became U.S. citizens during the 2022 fiscal year.

2. More immigrants are seeking U.S. citizenship than are currently being naturalized. There is a backlog of about 673,000 pending applications.

3. The total number of naturalized citizens in the U.S. almost tripled between 1995 and 2019, from 7.6 million to 22.1 million.

4. Immigrants are more likely to be naturalized if they speak English very well, have strong ties to the U.S., and have lived in the U.S. for a long time.

Using statistics, that is the picture of immigration in the U.S. today. We wonder how our government, with its reputation for efficiency and precision as well as with no clear and systematic methods on how well they prepare immigrants to become citizens, is handling this monumental task? We really do not know, but wonder what the ultimate unintended consequences will be.

Why Immigrants Come to the United States

The fact is that many people migrate to the U.S. for many reasons. People typically migrate to the United States by what is usually known as push or pull factors:

• Push factors are usually associated with escape from negative or dangerous situations like a poor standard of living, political or economic instability, violence and persecution, conflicts such as wars as well as other social/environmental factors like escaping poverty. At the borders, most come to escape deteriorating economic and political conditions at home. These are the immigrants that are usually poorly educated, which might be a major challenge for the integration process.

• Pull factors include the reunification of families, freedom, and social factors like a dedicated justice system to ensure you are treated fairly and not discriminated against. Education and work options are two of the most frequent factors that bring people to the U.S. These are immigrants who are usually more educated and they usually have a stronger support system.

There are many challenges facing immigrants when they arrive. At first, the most prominent are the language barrier and the lack of employment opportunities. Housing is a major problem as well as access and affordability of health care and legal services. Transportation is a problem and the major integration challenge associated with cultural differences, prejudice, and raising and schooling children.

The integration of the immigrant is quite often left to chance. Most often, this is something spearheaded by nonprofit organizations. These organizations are crucial to the lives of new immigrants. However, they are often poorly funded and mostly dependent on private contributions. The government usually does not play a major role in the process of educating and integrating immigrants, although there are supplemental programs that may provide financial support and nutritional or medical aid. They also provide competitive grants for the initiation and maintenance of citizenship and integration programs. We are not too sure how accountable and successful these programs are.

Immigration is certainly an imperative challenge. Once these individuals immigrate to the U.S., what are we actually doing to help them become accomplished citizens? It cannot be left to chance or guesswork. The consequences are likely to be a divided nation. Becoming a citizen of the United States, whether one is born in the U.S. or becomes a naturalized citizen is an awesome process and responsibility that requires involvement in the democratic process. This can be accomplished by a proper and comprehensive program of civics and history education and by engaging in the lifelong behavior associated with civic duty and service.

Immigrating to the U.S. - My Personal Journey

I (Francisco Perez) came to the United States, because of a push factor, as a refugee immigrant in August of 1960. I came from Cuba alone without my family and with five dollars in my pocket and a few clothes in my bag. My parents decided for me to escape the new mandate by the Castro government that all boys at the age of 13 had to join the revolutionary pioneers. In other words, to be indoctrinated into the communist system. I came to live with a Spanish-Cuban family that I did not know but were friends of my parents. There are a few memories that are permanent. I remember arriving at the Miami airport on a Pan Am flight from Habana and going through immigration and customs. I was 13 at the time and in Cuba I was pretty much sheltered. I spoke very little English. The customs agent stamped my passport and informed me, as the stamp indicated, that I was under "Docket control." To this day I still don't know what it meant. I assume it had something to do with my refugee status.

The family I initially lived with was very nice. I registered to go to public schools within a few weeks of arriving. In Cuba I was in the 8th grade, but I was placed in the 7th grade. There was no English as a Second Language class at the time. Immersed in the language and in survival mode, I learned proficient English in about three months. I still have specific and pleasant memories of that experience. I attended Kinloch Park Middle School in Miami. Teachers and peers were very supportive. Among the courses I took there were two that are ingrained in my memory. I took a course on the History of the United States, which was an excellent course that introduced me to the rich history we have. I learned that we need to learn Civics to enhance and preserve our history. 

Unbeknownst to me, I embarked on my journey to become a naturalized citizen which I eventually became in 1969. The American history and Civics courses were not the only ones I took. Civics and American history were a requirement in high school. I also engaged in community service. I gradually embraced the United States as my country, but I retained many of my Cuban customs, like having a cup of espresso frequently and, of course, Cuban food and music. Now I can say that Civics and American history, as well as being involved and warmly welcomed by my community, were what provided me with the knowledge and life experience to become a proud "WE" American citizen. As the National Association of Teachers have advocated, being an American is something to be learned and carried out. This principle applies not only to immigrants, but now more urgently, to those that are born in the USA. 

My personal experience taught me that becoming a citizen is a long process that requires preparation, involvement and commitment. It also requires a welcoming community. At this time, we don't have any specific structured and prescribed functional course of action that is evidence-based to properly prepare an immigrant for the important role of becoming a citizen of the United States. We do not even have a reliable and stringent method to educate them and evaluate how they become a citizen of the U.S. I am lucky and thankful that I came to the U.S. at the time that I did. Welcoming, disciplined, with many opportunities and open and encouraging to pursue ones’ dreams!

Pass it on and see you next week.

Francisco I. Perez, PhD

Faris R. Kronfli, PhD

Henry S. Pennypacker, PhD

Our book Engineering the Upswing - A Blueprint for Reframing Our Culture can be found at Amazon or at The Cambridge Center at behavior.org. All proceeds benefit The Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies