Explaining English Proficiency and the Role of Institutions: Filipinos and Asian Indians in Jersey City, NJ

摘要

Filipinos and Asian Indians are two of the largest Asian ethnic groups in the U.S. After the passage of the 1965 Hart-Cellar act, which abolished the 1924 Immigration and Naturalization Act's quota system, a large influx of Asian migrants entered the U.S. making scholars question the nature and extent of immigrant integration. Filipinos and Asian Indians have high socioeconomic statuses compared to other U.S. immigrant groups. Jersey City, NJ holds a significant number of both Filipinos and Asian Indians, which makes it unique compared to other U.S. cities. Filipino and Asian Indian ethnic institutions are ideologically and provisionally different in form and function in Jersey City. Years of entry, income, English proficiency, occupation and ethnicity can influence social institutions' characteristics. Therefore, analyzing social institutions helps shed light on each group's experiences, and assists in determining the role that social institutions play in each group's community, which permits individual or socialized policy recommendations for ethnic social institutions.