REQUIRING IMMIGRANTS

Requiring immigrants that come to live in the US to learn English



Requiring Immigrants

The values and sentiments of immigrants — whether they are Latin American, East Asian, Caribbean, or European — mirror those of native-born Americans, according to new research carried out by the nonprofit, nonpartisan research group Public Agenda.

The New York-based group conducted a comprehensive study of 1,002 randomly selected immigrants to the United States. Some of the key findings from the study, entitled "Now That I'm Here: What America's Immigrants Have to Say About Life in the US Today," are reported below.

Learning English Called Essential

One of the most surprising findings from the research is how insistent immigrants are that learning English is critical for their success. Focus group discussions made it clear that this conviction is driven by pragmatism and the desire to be understood. Fully 85 percent say it is hard to get a good job or do well in this country without learning English; only 12 percent say it is easy. Some immigrants also see learning English as an ethical obligation. Nearly two in three (65 percent) say "the US should expect all immigrants who do not speak English to learn it," versus 31 percent who say this should be left to each individual to decide.

These attitudes carry over to how immigrants want the nation's public schools to educate children who do not speak English. By a substantial 63 percent to 32 percent margin respondents believe that "all public school classes should be taught in English" rather than that "children of immigrants should be able to take some courses in their native language." Mexican immigrants, as a group, also believe it is important to learn English but they feel less urgency: a bare 51 percent majority thinks that all public school classes should be taught in English.

Immigrants' self-reported experiences with learning English are particularly revealing. Only 37 percent of immigrants say they already had a good command of English when they came to the United States. Among Mexican immigrants the number drops to seven percent; among Caribbean immigrants it goes up to 58 percent. Of immigrants who knew only enough English to get by or did not speak it at all upon arrival, 29 percent now speak mostly English at home and another 31 percent speak English and their native language about equally. Almost half (47 percent) have taken classes to improve their language skills. And 49 percent of those who came with limited or no English proficiency say they can now read a newspaper or book in English very well.

Strong Work Ethic

Immigrants show deep commitment to the work ethic, once again reflecting a historically prized American value. A large majority (73 percent) think it is "extremely important" for immigrants "to work and stay off welfare." In focus groups, many talked about the stark reality that greeted them when they first came to the United States — and the understanding that, without hard work, their dream of ...