Gianpiero Dalla Zuanna - migrants and natives two separate populations or one new population
1. Migrants and natives:
two separate populations or
one new population?
The case of immigrants’ children in Italy
Gianpiero Dalla Zuanna, University of Padua
Alessandra Minello, European University Institute
2. Crude rate of net
migration plus
adjustment
Per 1 000
inhabitants
Migrants in Europe
Source: OECD 2012
5. Newborns by parents’ migration status
Italy, 1999-2014
Number of acquisition of the Italian
citizenship, 2002-2014
Signals of a change…
Total
Both Italian parents
At least one foreign parent
Both foreign parents
Thousands Thousands
Source: ISTAT
6. 0 5 000 10 000 15 000 20 000
0-19
20-39
40-59
60-79
80+
Italy 2050 Italy 2015
10 million less
300 thousand less every year
4 million more
115 thousand more every year
Italy needs migrants…
UN Prospects
x 1,000 Level of education
Low High Total
Age 65 512 220 732
Age 20 113 454 567
20 / 65 0.2 2.1 0.8
The replacement of
Italian job market in
2015:
Quantitative and
qualitative imbalance
Source: ISTAT
7. Characteristics of the migrants in Italy
They come to Italy to stay…
A strong integration policy is essential to realize (again) the
ideas of national anthem, written in 1840s to support the
union of the several Italian micro-states:
“di fonderci insieme già l'ora sonò!”
“It's really time to join together!”
Our focus is on children…
8. Census
Registry update
Inter-census simulation
Statistical data 2002-2015
Migrants in the Italian school system
Source: Miur
Preschool Primary School Low secondary school Upper secondary school
1.7 %
S. Y. 2001/2002
9.0 %
S. Y. 2013/2014
9. Not still able to cover class divergencies, not even
for Italians (Low social mobility)
Migrants in the Italian school system
Contribution of the Italian society and the educational system to
assimilation:
Italian school system is not discrimitating between
classes before age 15.
Italian school is public and free.
Ghettos are almost absent and all immigrants are not
concentrated into banlieu or specific neighbourhood.
11. • Quantitative survey (Questionnaire)
• National sample: 48 provinces, schools with
high presence of migrants (>10% North and
Center, >3% South)
• Students fill out the questionnaire
• Same questionnaire in every school
• Comparison between Italians and children of
immigrants
• Big numbers: 10,000 children of immigrants,
the same number of Italians
• The results of a more extended survey
performed by Istat in 2014, following a similar
metodology, will be presented in few weeks
ITAGEN2 survey: 2006
12. Minello, Dalla Zuanna 2014Source: Itagen2
Educational
expectations:
High School
(%)
Meeting Italian
friends
outside of
school (%)
Educational expectations, economic resources, social interactions
13. Last
year
10
years
5-9
years
1-4
years
Born in
Italy
Low Medium High
In order to be
succesfull you need
to be religious:
% by time of arrival
and level of
education of the
parents (Italians)
Women need to
find the right men,
to get married and
having a nice
family:
% of agreement by
time of arrival and
level of education
of the parents
(Italians)
Children of immigrants
Italians
Children of immigrants
Italians
Source: Itagen2
14. Multinomial
ordinal logistic
regression
models with
random
intercept:
number of
desired
children
Minello, Dalla-Zuanna, Pierobon, forthcoming
-0,5
-0,4
-0,3
-0,2
-0,1
0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
Time of arrival: 10 and
more
Time of arrival: 5 to 9 Time of arrival: less
than 5
Mean number of
sibligns of the Italian
schoolmates
Mean number of
desired children by
migration status
(time of arrival)
Fertility intentions
Source: Itagen2
16. Immigrant-natives differentials in reading and mathematics skills among 2nd
graders in Italian primary schools (INVALSI 2009-10).
(Azzolini 2015)
Immigrant-natives differentials in reading and mathematics skills
17. Children of immigrants
C.I.
Children of immigrants
C.I.
“Excellent” grade:
% by migration
status and level of
education of the
parents
“Excellent” grade:
% by migration
status and language
spoken at home
19. Source: PISA data 2009 in Entorf 2015
Math scores Reading scores
Source: PISA data 2012, OECD
20. • One or two populations?
• One, because the assimilation process is very rapid
• Two, because of the persisting gap in human capital. However,
the traditional social class differences are still present also for
Italians.
• Fast assimilation can, as a paradox, be negative: if
expectations are not fulfilled, resentment grows.
• Necessity of a reduction of the gap, due to diversities in social
background and tongue.
• Additional school hours, additional extra activities, in order to
close the gap. Simple but essential answers to important
questions.
Conclusions
