Assimilation, Cultural Pluralism, and Social Exclusion among Ethnocultural Groups in Vancouver

Abstract

In this paper we use custom tabulations from the 1991 Census for Greater Vancouver to compare the settlement experience of "traditional" immigrants with ethnic origins in Europe vs. those from other parts of the world. In particular we analyze the extent to which assimilation or cultural pluralism best describe the experience of the two populations. Assimilation is measured according to the degree to which an ethnic group moves toward the characteristics of the native-born population, while cultural pluralism is assessed from profiles of residential concentration, employment segmentation, nonofficial language use in the home, and ethnic inmarriage. We also assess the extent to which assimilation or cultural pluralism is associated with social exclusion in terms of economic and educational achievement. In general we find that assimilation best describes the experience of both groupings, though it is much slower for non-European immigrants and ethnicities, where cultural pluralism survives appreciably beyond the first generation. Cultural pluralism is associated with economic marginality for both groups in their first decade in Canada, though more profoundly for non-European immigrants in terms of personal income. In contrast there is some evidence that for the European-origin native-born, some ethnic separation remains and is associated with economic privilege. In general with length of residence, the relationship between variables becomes more ordered, and education emerges as a structuring effect in shaping economic outcomes.