Children of Immigrants Health, Adjustment, and Public Assistance (1999) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
11 Receipt of Public Assistance by Immigrant Children and Their Families: Evidence from the Survey of Income and Program Participation
11 Receipt of Public Assistance by Immigrant Children and Their Families: Evidence from the Survey of Income and Program Participation
Pages 584-619
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 584... ...
.;. .~r tile ~ ,; ~ Peter David Brandon ational debate over immigration policy is not new in the | ~ United States.
|
From page 585... ...
Basically, administrative rules for public assistance drew no real distinctions between legal permanent residents and citizens. Even undocumented immigrants were eligible for some emergency relief, such as medical care.3 In the context of the old welfare system, several important national-level studies compared public assistance receipt between immigrant and native groups.
|
From page 586... ...
Moreover, past studies like those cited above have focused on welfare receipt among immigrant adults or households. Equally imperative, however, is learning about the lives and economic conditions of immigrant children.
|
From page 587... ...
Each wave of the survey was conducted every four months, so each participant was interviewed three times a year about his or her economic experiences over the past four months, including benefits received from many different means-tested entitlement programs. As the households were reinterviewed at four-month intervals for six, seven, or eight waves, depending on the particular panel, the survey provided 24,28, or 32 consecutive months of data for each household.4 Besides providing monthly details about the use of cash and noncash transfer programs, it also collected monthly data on household composition, employment, and sources of private income.5 The SIPP was well suited to the present study because it also reports the race and ethnicity of each respondent; where each respondent was born; and, if born abroad, the year of arrival in the United States.6 With this information, persons were classified 4Rotation group 1 of the 1986 panel was followed for only 24 months instead of 28 months.
|
From page 588... ...
Children born to native-born parents were classified as native born. In one set of analyses where the focus was the impact of immigrant generation on whether a child resided in a family that received public assistance, the latter group was the comparison group.
|
From page 589... ...
; other welfare; Medicaid; food stamps; heating assistance; housing assistance (rent subsidies or public housing) ; Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
|
From page 590... ...
Food stamps: Vouchers are distributed to increase the food-purchasing power of eligible low-income households. Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
|
From page 591... ...
Cash If ever received either AFDC, GA, SSI, or other welfare; 0 otherwise. Noncash If ever received either Medicaid, food stamps, WIC, heating or housing assistance; 0 otherwise.
|
From page 592... ...
methodology, AFDC, SSI, GA, and other welfare were combined to produce an indicator of cash assistance, and Medicaid, food stamps, heating assistance, housing assistance, and WIC were combined to produce an indicator of noncash assistance. Then a final indicator for receipt of any assistance, cash or noncash, was created.
|
From page 593... ...
When ethnicity and generation were combined, the following numbers of foreign-born children with foreign-born parents were obtained: 399 Mexican children, 68 Puerto Rican children, 7 Cuban children,9 193 children of other Latino background, 64 Western European children, 26 Eastern European children, and 221 9Because sample sizes for foreign-born Cuban children and native-born Cuban children with foreign-born parents were too small, these groups were recombined in the regression models.
|
From page 594... ...
The numbers of native-born children with native-born parents were 1,384 Mexican children; 472 Puerto Rican children; 3 Cuban children; 589 children of other Latino background; 6,299 Western European children; 376 Eastern European children; and 183 Asian children. Once separate person-year records were created and years in which each child was 18 or older were deleted, 125,822 personyears were observed.~° Breaking down the sample by ethnicity and generation in child person-years yielded 1,145 foreign-born Mexican children and 4,455 native-born Mexican children with at least one parent born in Mexico; 200 foreign-born Puerto Rican children and 116 native-born Puerto Rican children with at least one foreign-born parent; and 1,388 native-born Puerto Rican children with native-born Puerto Rican parents.
|
From page 595... ...
Incidence of Public Assistance Receipt by Ethnicity and Generation Table 11-3 shows the incidence of participation in public assistance programs by combining ethnicity and generation for person-years in which each child was under 18. In the table, foreignborn Mexican children are more likely than white children in
|
From page 596... ...
, are more likely to use all forms of public assistance (see Table 11-3~. According to Table 11-3, foreign-born Asian children are more likely than white children in native-born families to receive AFDC, SSI, food stamps, Medicaid, WIC, school lunches, and housing and heating assistance.
|
From page 597... ...
With respect to food stamps, 51 percent of black children and 52 percent of Puerto Rican children lived in families that received them, while only 14 percent of white children lived in families that received food stamps. Multivariate Analyses of the Determinants of Public Assistance Receipt Comparing the prevalence of welfare receipt among foreignborn children with that of native-born children is informative but, without adjusting for the extent of disadvantage across groups, knowing whether the higher rates of receipt are due primarily to socioeconomic differences, such as education levels, or to recency of arrival in the United States remains uncertain.
|
From page 598... ...
Puerto Rican children, on the other hand, were more likely than white children to use AFDC, SSI, food stamps, Medicaid, school lunches, and housing and heating assistance but less likely to receive other welfare. Aside from heating assistance, Asian children exhibited exactly the same pattern as Puerto Rican children.
|
From page 599... ...
Foreign-born Mexican children, for example, are less likely than white children in native-born families to receive AFDC, SSI, and food stamps and are no more likely than white children in native-born families to receive Medicaid. Native-born Mexican children with a foreign-born parent are also less likely to receive AFDC and Medicaid and are no different in their use of food stamps than white children, although these children are possibly more likely than white children to receive SSI.
|
From page 600... ...
stamps, and Medicaid when controlling for poverty but less likely than white children in native-born families to receive SSI. For the other transfer programs, foreign-born Mexican children are less likely than white children in native-born families to receive heating assistance and WIC benefits but are more likely to receive school lunches and to live in families that receive housing assistance.
|
From page 601... ...
Predicted probability of AFDC receipt by ethnicity and trolling for poverty status. Both native-born Mexican children with a foreign-born parent and Mexican children in native-born families are more likely than white children to receive school lunches and housing assistance.
|
From page 602... ...
Overall, foreign-born Mexican children are less likely than white children in native-born families to live in families that receive AFDC, SSI, food stamps, heating assistance, and WIC while being no more likely to receive Medicaid or other types of welfare. But they are more likely to receive school lunches and housing assistance.
|
From page 603... ...
Again, Asian children in native-born families are more likely than white children to receive AFDC, housing assistance, heating assistance, and school lunches, but after controlling for poverty their receipt of SSI, food stamps, other welfare, and Medicaid is no different than that of white children in native-born families. Comparing Asian children from various generations, foreignborn Asian children are much more likely than Asian children in native-born families to be living in a family that relies on SSI, Medicaid, food stamps, and other welfare programs.
|
From page 604... ...
Results suggest that foreign-born Eastern European children are more likely than white children in native-born families to use some transfer programs. These particular children are more likely than white children to receive Medicaid, housing assistance, and other welfare, although they are no different in the likelihood of receiving AFDC, food stamps, heating assistance, and school lunches.
|
From page 605... ...
The pattern of either being less likely to receive or to receive at the same rate as white children in native-born families changes only when results for Western European children in native-born families are examined. Western European children are in fact more likely than white children to receive housing assistance and school lunches but are less likely than white children to receive SSI, food stamps, Medicaid, and heating assistance.
|
From page 606... ...
Puerto Rican children with both parents born in the United States are more likely than white children with native-born families to receive AFDC, food stamps, Medicaid, housing assistance, heating assistance, and school lunches. Only for use of the WIC program are Puerto Rican children with native-born families comparable to white children with native-born families.
|
From page 607... ...
Their use of public assistance is still less than that of native-born Puerto Ricans and blacks but rises above that of foreign-born Mexican children. Thus, different stories arise for different generations of ethnic groups with respect to the use of public assistance.
|
From page 608... ...
Among Eastern European children, both native-born children with foreign-born parents and those with native-born parents were less likely than native-born white children to live in families that received AFDC, food stamps, WIC, or school lunches. Generally, there were large differences among different immigrant groups in the receipt of public assistance.
|
From page 609... ...
welfare system live in families that are native born and therefore eligible for public assistance. Recency of arrival in the United States is not the engine driving high receipt of public assistance among ethnic and racial minorities.
|
From page 610... ...
Tienda, M., and L Jensen 1986 Immigration and public assistance participation: Dispelling the myth of dependency.
|
From page 611... ...
PETER DAVID BRANDON 611 Table 1 1 A- 1 follows on next page.
|
From page 612... ...
612 RECEIPT OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE TABLE 11A-1 Characteristics of Chilclren's Years in the Survey of Income and Program Participation, 1986-1992 Generation Age of Age of Within Household Younges Ethnicity Age Year Head Citizen Health Married Child Mexican1 Mexican2 Mexicans Puerto Rican Cuban Asian1 Asian2 Asians WestEuro1 WestEuro2 WestEuro3 EastEuro1 EastEuro2 EastEuro3 Other Latino White Black Other Total 11 8 12 7 8 11 10 9 11 8 10 8 8.8 1.98 36.55 0.40 0.09 0.80 5.75 1.99 35.00 0.47 0.06 0.90 4.55 1.99 35.18 1.00 0.08 0.75 5.89 1.99 36.94 1.00 0.12 0.56 7.45 1.97 38.00 0.55 0.03 0.91 6.74 1.93 42.39 0.78 0.05 0.84 8.15 1.98 38.99 1.00 0.03 0.90 4.82 1.98 40.56 1.00 0.08 0.79 5.55 1.98 38.28 0.32 0.02 0.90 7.73 1.99 37.87 0.41 0.06 0.92 6.26 1.99 36.86 1.00 0.06 0.87 7.19 2.00 36.34 0.44 0.00 1.00 8.75 1.99 35.74 0.42 0.02 0.96 5.68 1.99 37.37 1.00 0.03 0.92 7.62 1.96 39.03 0.51 0.09 0.65 6.43 1.99 36.53 1.00 0.08 0.90 6.75 1.99 35.65 1.00 0.07 0.53 6.54 1.99 35.29 0.96 0.09 0.77 5.43 1.99 36.60 0.89 0.06 0.82 6.56 NOTE: 1 = Foreign-born children with foreign-born parents; 2 = native-born children with at least one foreign-born parent; 3 = native-born children with native-born parent. SOURCE: SIPP (1986-1991 panels)
|
From page 613... ...
PETER DAVID BRANDON come and 613 Age of Number Completed High College Youngest of Less than School Some Degree or arried Child Children High School Graduate College Higher 5.75 4.55 5.89 7.45 6.74 8.15 4.82 79 90 00 90 5.55 7.73 6.26 7.19 8.75 5.68 7.62 6.43 6.75 6.54 5.43 6.56 3.55 3.13 2.95 2.56 2.02 2.82 2.64 3.05 2.61 2.44 2.38 2.10 2.41 2.33 2.59 2.37 2.79 2.68 2.46 0.76 0.70 0.49 0.50 0.10 0.31 0.12 0.19 0.27 0.17 0.12 0.31 0.27 0.08 0.35 0.13 0.31 0.27 0.20 0.15 0.18 0.31 0.29 0.29 0.16 0.22 0.27 0.36 0.30 0.40 0.13 0.19 0.35 0.36 0.39 0.37 0.45 0.36 0.05 0.09 0.14 0.13 0.33 0.12 0.23 0.21 0.16 0.25 0.27 0.19 0.32 0.25 0.19 0.26 0.23 0.13 0.24 0.04 0.03 0.06 0.07 0.28 0.42 0.43 0.32 0.21 0.28 0.22 0.37 0.22 0.33 0.10 0.22 0.09 0.15 0.19
|
From page 614... ...
* Puerto Rican 3.16*
|
From page 615... ...
PETER DAVID BRANDON 615 Housing Heating School ~s Medicaid Assistance Assistance WIC Lunch *
|
From page 616... ...
616 RECEIPT OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE TABLE 11A-3 Oclcls Ratios from Logistic Regressions of Program Participation on Ethnic Groups within Generation Other Food Program AFDC SSla Welfarea Stamps Medical Mex1 0.76*
|
From page 617... ...
PETER DAVID BRANDON 617 ) s Medicaid Assistance Heating WIC Sucnochl *
|
From page 618... ...
Scenario one: "Cash" is participation in either AFDC, SSI, or other welfare; "Noncash" is participation in either food stamps, Medicaid, or housing or energy assistance; "Total" is participation in any of these programs. Scenario two: "Cash" is participation in either AFDC, SSI, other welfare, unemployment assistance, or general assistance; "Noncash" is participation in either food stamps, Medicaid, housing or energy assistance, or WIC; "Total" is participation in any of these programs.
|
From page 619... ...
Scenario one: "Cash" is participation in either AFDC, SSI, or other welfare; "Noncash" is participation in either food stamps, Medicaid, housing or energy assistance; "Total" is participation in any of these programs. Scenario two: "Cash" is participation in either AFDC, SSI, other welfare, unemployment assistance, or general assistance; "Noncash" is participation in either food stamps, Medicaid, housing or energy assistance, or WIC; "Total" is participation in any of these programs.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.