Immigrants’ sense of belonging in Quebec: The role of perceived discrimination and participation in associations and sports

IF 2.4 2区社会学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL

International Journal of Intercultural Relations Pub Date : 2025-05-27 DOI:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102209

Robert Djogbenou , Vissého Adjiwanou , Solène Lardoux

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Abstract

In many Western countries, whether immigrants participate and develop a sense of belonging to the host society is becoming increasingly significant. The current literature on the ‘integration paradox’ describing the largely positive effect of social integration on immigrants’ sense of belonging is weakened by several confounding factors. This study examines the relationship between social integration (participation in associations and sports) and immigrants’ sense of belonging while assessing the potential mediating role of perceived discrimination. Using data collected in 2020 from 1113 immigrants as part of a survey on participation dynamics among immigrants in Quebec, we conducted 1) propensity score matching to compare immigrants who participate in associations and sports with those who do not and 2) structural equation modeling to examine perceived discrimination as a mediator between participation and immigrants’ sense of belonging. Results show that participation in associations and sports significantly improves immigrants’ sense of belonging, even after correcting for selection bias in the propensity score matching analysis. In the structural equation model, the results show that the higher the level of participation in association and sports among immigrants, the more likely they are to report discrimination. However, this effect does not entirely cancel out the direct and positive impact of participation in associations and sports activities on immigrants’ sense of belonging. Finally, the results show a more significant effect on immigrants from Europe/the United States and Asia/the Middle East than those from Africa, Latin America/the Caribbean. This study provides practical suggestions for targeted interventions to address these disparities. Besides providing valuable insights for policymakers in integration, our results could also help immigrants to participate fully in their host society.

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魁北克移民的归属感：感知歧视与参与社团和体育的作用

在许多西方国家，移民是否参与并形成对东道国社会的归属感变得越来越重要。目前关于“融合悖论”的文献描述了社会融合对移民归属感的积极影响，但由于几个混杂因素的影响，这些文献被削弱了。本研究考察了社会融合（参加社团和体育活动）与移民归属感之间的关系，同时评估了感知歧视的潜在中介作用。利用2020年从1113名移民中收集的数据，作为魁北克移民参与动态调查的一部分，我们进行了1)倾向得分匹配，以比较参加协会和体育运动的移民与不参加体育运动的移民；2)结构方程建模，以检验感知歧视在参与和移民归属感之间的中介作用。结果表明，即使在倾向得分匹配分析中修正了选择偏差后，参加社团和体育活动也显著提高了移民的归属感。在结构方程模型中，结果显示移民参与社团和体育运动的水平越高，他们报告歧视的可能性越大。然而，这种影响并不能完全抵消参加社团和体育活动对移民归属感的直接和积极影响。最后，研究结果显示，来自欧洲/美国和亚洲/中东的移民比来自非洲、拉丁美洲/加勒比的移民影响更大。本研究为解决这些差异提供了针对性干预的实用建议。除了为政策制定者提供有价值的见解外，我们的研究结果还可以帮助移民充分参与东道国社会。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Intercultural Relations Multiple-

CiteScore

4.30

自引率

14.30%

发文量

122

期刊介绍： IJIR is dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of theory, practice, and research in intergroup relations. The contents encompass theoretical developments, field-based evaluations of training techniques, empirical discussions of cultural similarities and differences, and critical descriptions of new training approaches. Papers selected for publication in IJIR are judged to increase our understanding of intergroup tensions and harmony. Issue-oriented and cross-discipline discussion is encouraged. The highest priority is given to manuscripts that join theory, practice, and field research design. By theory, we mean conceptual schemes focused on the nature of cultural differences and similarities.