A report on both qualitative and quantitative research on community and political engagement by immigrant (largely Latino or Cuban) youth in South Florida. They conclude that this group is more likely to focus on their own cultural community than on national politics.
Additional details
They define immigrant definitions as:
- 1st generation – born abroad
- 1.5th generation – born abroad, but came to US under 12 year
- 2nd generation – born in the US
In a survey of students in a freshman English class, they compared data on participation in political and community activities by immigration status and generation. The 2nd generation closely matched non-immigrants in this survey.
The activities they asked about were:
Political
- Discuss politics with family and friends
- Read a newspaper for current events
- Used Internet for current events or news
- Registered to vote
- Attended organized demonstrations
Civic
- Volunteer or community service
- Officer of club or student government
- Tutored someone
- Participated in community fund-raiser
- Donated blood
- Helped senior citizens
- Helped non-English speaker write
Stepick, A., Stepick, C. D., Labissiere, Y. (2008) ‘South Florida’s Immigrant Youth and Civic Engagement: Major Engagement: Minor Differences’, Applied Developmental Science, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 57-65 , doi: 10.1080/10888690801997036