{"id":14944,"date":"2023-09-12T10:06:19","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T17:06:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/?p=14944"},"modified":"2024-05-08T16:32:32","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T23:32:32","slug":"using-eri-data-tool-to-promote-naturalization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2023\/09\/12\/using-eri-data-tool-to-promote-naturalization\/","title":{"rendered":"Using ERI\u2019s Data Tool to Promote Naturalization in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Using ERI\u2019s Data Tool to Promote Naturalization in the U.S.<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n By<\/span>Dr. Thai V. Le, Research Scientist, USC Equity Research Institute<\/strong>\n \n September 12, 2023<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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In the United States, where immigrants make up nearly 14% of the country\u2019s population<\/a>, naturalization offers a pathway to greater integration and inclusion. There are several benefits realized when gaining U.S. citizenship<\/a>, including the right to vote, eligibility to run for public office, access to certain government benefits programs and jobs, prioritized sponsorship of immediate family to the U.S., and protection from deportation. Economically, naturalization has consistently been found to increase immigrants\u2019 earnings and wealth over time<\/a> through improved access to gainful employment and wealth-building tools, such as homeownership. These benefits also have positive impact on the communities where immigrants live, enhancing political representation and bringing greater economic resources through increased spending power, revenue, and tax contributions.<\/p>\n

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However, despite the benefits associated with naturalization, U.S. citizenship is not equitably accessible given the costly, time intensive, and complex process to become a citizen. Research<\/a> on pathways to citizenship has shown that immigrants with more limited human capital and in precarious family circumstances face greater barriers in pursuing naturalization. For example, immigrants who speak English \u201cwell\u201d or \u201cvery well\u201d have more than twice the odds of successfully naturalizing than immigrants who do not speak English at all. There are also evidence that eligible-to-naturalize immigrants with an undocumented family member in the household have more than an 80% lower likelihood of naturalizing, which may be associated with a chilling effect of U.S. immigrant enforcement. These barriers have created disparate naturalization rates across racial\/ethnic groups<\/a>, raising concerns about immigrant inclusion and racial justice.<\/p>\n

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To address this issue, ERI developed an interactive data mapping tool<\/a><\/strong> that analyzes and disaggregates data on the eligible-to-naturalize adult immigrant population in the U.S. and the challenges they may face in gaining U.S. citizenship. This mapping tool allows users to explore different geographies in the United States to learn more about the eligible-to-naturalize immigrant population in those places, including age, race, educational attainment, poverty status, English speaking ability, top places of origin, and top languages spoken at home. By using statistical modeling to predict naturalization outcomes based on observed characteristics, the mapping tool also categorizes eligible-to-naturalize adults into low, medium, and high probability groups for naturalization. This categorization can help policymakers and community organizations working with immigrants to better gauge which groups may need a \u201cnudge\u201d to naturalize compared to those who may need more resources or involved intervention.<\/p>\n

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Based on ERI\u2019s estimates of the approximately 8.2 million eligible-to-naturalize adults and their probability of naturalization:<\/p>\n