Ethnic Differences in Educational Attainment among the Children of Canadian Immigrants

Abstract

Abstract Using the 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey, this article examines the ethnic differences in university education attainment among the children of immigrants in Canada. We found that most groups achieve clear upward mobility across generations, while Blacks and Filipinos show signs of stagnation. Asians (with the exception of Filipinos) attain higher academic achievements than most groups of European origins even when accounting for group variations in family background, and social and ethnic capital. Parental education was important in explaining the relatively low university completion rates among the second generation Portuguese and Italians. Rural residence of the father’s generation was an important factor for the second generation Dutch and German youth, reflecting the different settlement patterns of these various groups. Our findings suggest that race/ethnicity has become a salient factor in educational stratification. Keywords: ethnicity, mobility, education, second generation, immigrants