“It’s Sort of My Calling”: The Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility of Latino Immigrant-Origin Young Adults

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe civic patterns of engagement of Latino first- and secondgeneration (immigrant-origin) young adults and to provide insights into what differentiates these patterns. Based on 58 in-depth interviews with 18- to 25-year-olds of Dominican, Mexican, and Central American origin, the authors first established variations in different levels of civic engagement profiles. The authors then analyzed the characteristics that distinguish these civic profiles, considering demographic variables (generation, gender, education level, and undocumented status) as well as motivations for civic engagement. Two thirds of first- and second-generation participants were actively engaged, though variations in patterns emerged across civic profiles; undocumented status appeared a particularly salient driver of engagement. The authors found that rather than being instrumentally and individually motivated, Latino immigrant-origin young adults were primarily motivated to be civically engaged by social responsibility as well as by social (in)justices.

Notes

¹ Within the heterogeneous Latino group lie the experiences of ethnically, racially, religiously, nationally, and generationally diverse persons. It is important to recognize multiple intersecting identities (e.g., Indigenous and female) as not doing so may lead to cultural misunderstanding and stigmatization (Casanova, 2012). While mindful of such differences and intersectionalities, certain commonalities permit the grouping of Latinos (M. Suárez-Orozco, Paez, & Gaytán, 2008). First, two thirds of Latinos are either immigrants or the children of immigrants (Brown & Patten, 2014). Second, Latinos share a connection to Spanish, the most frequently spoken non-English language in the United States (Gonzalez-Barrera & Lopez, 2013). Lastly, despite identifying with their family’s country of origin (e.g., Dominican American, or Salvadoran American), Latinos are forced to adapt to U.S. demographic and census categories (Hispanic/Latino) (Lopez & Krogstad, 2014). Although we recognize the importance of ethnic and racial diversity in our sample of Dominican, Mexican, Salvadoran, and Guatemalan young adults, for the purposes of this study, we present the common experiences they share while also highlighting differences by generation, gender, and educational levels.

² We anticipated that some of the first-generation participants might be undocumented but because of the sensitivity of this issue, we did not explicitly make documentation status a part of the recruitment strategy. We never asked directly about status during the interviews, though many participants disclosed this information during the course of the interview once trust was established.

³ All participant names are pseudonyms.