Determinants of Psycho-Social Adaptation in the Spanish Second Generation: A Fixed-Effects Analysis

Abstract

This analysis seeks to establish the key causal determinants of four psycho-social outcomes of children of immigrants — educational aspirations, educational expectations, perceptions of discrimination, and national self-identity — through first-differencing fixed-effects models. Using longitudinal data from the Spanish ILSEG study, we find that both increased identification with the host country and reported experiences of discrimination in it significantly increase educational ambition over time. Reduced experiences of discrimination facilitate increased identification with the host society, while such identification leads to less perceived hostility. Birthplace proves to be the strongest predictor of national self-identity.