A new study published in the peer-reviewed Atlantic Economic Journal reveals that cultural preferences for economic redistribution persist among descendants of immigrants in the United States, even after multiple generations. The research, authored by a scholar from the Center for Immigration Studies, builds on earlier findings from Europe and extends the analysis to the American context, where immigration has a longer and more complex history. n nThe paper draws inspiration from a 2011 study of immigrants in European nations, which found that both newcomers and their children retained economic attitudes resembling those of their countries of origin. The current study applies a similar epidemiological approach to U.S. populations, offering two key insights. First, the persistence of such preferences across continents suggests the phenomenon is not confined to Europe. Second, the extended timeline of American immigration provides a rigorous test: if cultural inclinations endure among groups like German Americans and Irish Americans—who have been deeply integrated socially and economically for generations—then assimilation has clear limits. n nFigure 1 in the study plots redistribution preferences of modern European nations against those of Americans with ancestral ties to those same countries. Despite centuries of separation, the relative rankings remain strikingly consistent. For instance, Russia shows a higher preference for redistribution than Ireland, which in turn ranks above the UK. Similarly, Russian Americans express stronger support for redistribution than Irish Americans, who in turn favor it more than British Americans. n nThe correlation holds even after adjusting for variables such as age, gender, income, education, and marital status, reinforcing the argument that cultural heritage plays a measurable role in shaping economic attitudes. The author notes that while individuals adapt in many ways, core beliefs about government’s role in wealth distribution can remain resilient over time. n— news from Center for Immigration Studies n
— News Original —nCIS Scholar’s Study of Cultural Persistence Published in Atlantic Economic JournalnNumerous studies from the fields of economics, history, political science, and sociology show that the cultural traits brought by immigrants do not always disappear into a melting pot. Often they persist into the second generation and beyond. I’m pleased to have made another small contribution to this literature. “Cultural Preference for Redistribution in the United States: An Epidemiological Approach” was published this month by the peer-reviewed Atlantic Economic Journal. n nMy paper takes inspiration from a 2011 study of immigrants living in European countries. That study found that both immigrants and their children retain preferences for economic redistribution reminiscent of their ancestral countries. My own paper focuses on the U.S., which allows for two additional lessons. First, evidence of a persistent cultural preference for redistribution on a different continent suggests the phenomenon is widespread, rather than limited to modern Europe. Second, the much longer history of immigration in the U.S. provides a particularly stringent test. If ancestral cultural differences persist even among groups who have lived for many generations in the same country together, and who are now highly integrated socially and economically — as, say, German Americans and Irish Americans are — then assimilation clearly has its limits. n nFigure 1 from my paper demonstrates that redistribution preferences are indeed persistent in the U.S. Displayed along the horizontal axis are the average redistribution preferences in modern European countries, while the vertical axis shows the redistribution preferences of Americans with corresponding ancestries from those countries. The ancestors of most of these Americans first came to the U.S. many generations ago — in some cases before the founding of the nation. n nFigure 1: Redistribution Preferences in Europe and America n nSource: Richwine, “Cultural Preference for Redistribution in the United States”. n nRemarkably, the relative ordering of countries on the horizontal axis is similar to the ordering of American ancestral groups on the vertical axis. For example, Russia has a greater preference for redistribution than Ireland, which in turn has a greater preference than the UK. At the same time, Russian-Americans prefer more redistribution than Irish-Americans, who prefer more than British-Americans. The paper goes on to examine whether the relationship still holds after controlling for factors such as age, sex, income, education, and marital status. It does.
