IMMIGRANT LEGACIES - ETHNICITY, GENERATION, AND CHILDRENS FAMILIAL AND ECONOMIC LIVES

Objective. This study examines the impact of immigration on the famili al and economic circumstances of children. Its main objectives are (1) to demonstrate the ethnic and generational. diversity of the child po pulation; (2) to demonstrate ethnic and generational diversity in chil dren's risks of living in single-parent families, living in poverty, a nd receiving public assistance; and (3) to determine whether generatio nal differences are consistent with the assimilation model. Methods. T he analysis consists of descriptive statistics and logistic regression models based on the 5% Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) of the 1990 U.S. Census. Results. There is considerable diversity in the generati onal composition of the child population, both across and within panet hnic categories. Although Asian children are generally more advantaged than Latino children, generational differences in familial and econom ic circumstances are also evident across groups falling within these p anethnic categories. Last, the results do not provide strong support f or the assimilation model. Conclusions. Attention to specific generati onal groups and ethnic groups is needed to understand the long-term ou tlook for children. First- and second-generation children in some ethn ic groups are doing well economically, while others are highly disadva ntaged. Nevertheless, the prognosis is unclear because the two-parent family appears to weaken across the generations.