A nation of immigrants? The case for a politically influential and intersectional immigrant identity in the United States

Abstract

ABSTRACTDo Americans identify as immigrants and, if so, what are the political implications? We argue that many Americans hold an immigrant identity, and that the strength of immigrant identity varies by race and immigrant generation. We find that an immigrant identity exists, that it is associated with several political outcomes, and that it is distinct from racial identity and a country-of-origin identity. We used the 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Study to provide an in-depth, cross-racial, and cross-generation analysis of immigrant identity in the United States. We hope this initial work creates more space for work on the political consequences of the United States’ complex identity as a nation of immigrants.KEYWORDS: Immigration politicsAAPI politicsLatino/a politicsidentity politicsracecountry of origin Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 Based on CMPS survey item 713. We count migrant identifiers as individuals who self-identify as immigrants at least “sometimes”.2 The 2020 American Community Survey estimates that approximately 13.5% of United States residents are foreign-born.3 There are 1402 respondents who do not primarily identify as white, AAPI, Black or Latinx. These respondents are not included in our analyses.