Identifying Indigenous Mexicans and Central Americans in Survey - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Identifying Indigenous Mexicans and Central Americans in Survey Research

Susan Gabbard Daniel Carroll Immigration Reform: Implications for Farmers, Farm Workers and Communities May 27, 2010

Indigenous Mexicans and Central Americans

 Descendents of Mexico and Central

America’s pre-Columbian population, Mayan and other groups

 Distinct histories and cultures

 Up to 90 indigenous languages spoken in

Mexico

 Mostly from poor, rural areas  Began migrating to the United States in

the early 1980s

 Increasing migration since late 1990s

Challenges of Identifying

 Important to identify because of unique

challenges in labor relations, service delivery, social and civic integration

 Multi-faceted definition of indigenous

 Language  Geography  Race/ethnicity - self-identification

 Discrimination and self-identification

The National Agricultural Workers Survey

 Agriculture as a point of entry for poor, often rural,

immigrants

 NAWS is a national probability survey of field

workers in crop agriculture

 US Dept of Labor sponsors and conducted by

Aguirre Division of JBS International

 Establishment survey: Find workers through their

employers

 Complex sampling: multi-stage, stratified, cluster  AAPOR4 response rate for establishments is 40%,

Grower cooperation 60-70%, List issues reduce RR

 Worker response rate is >90%  Survey mostly done in Spanish

West Central North South

Mexican Sending Regions

1992-1994 1995-1997 1998-2000 2001-2003 2004-2006 2007-2009 West Central 45% 41% 47% 44% 44% 45% North 45% 43% 32% 32% 29% 27% South 10% 16% 21% 23% 27% 27%

10 20 30 40 50 1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009

The race question

Primary Language

Indigenous Languages 1999-2007

Achi Aguateco Amuzgo Cakchiquel Chatino Chinanteco Chuj Cora Garifuna Ixil Quiche Tarasco Tepehuano Tlapaneco Triqui Tzeltal Tzotzil Visayo Zapoteco Jacalteco Kanjobal Mam Maya Mazateco Mixteco Nahuatl Otomi Popti Purepecha

Different Ways of Measuring Indigenous Mexicans and Central Americans

As a percent of Mexican and Central American Farmworkers

Race, Child or Primary Language 17% 14% Race 3% 5% 9% 11% 13% 11% Child Language 6% 6% Primary language 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 2%

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009

Race, Child or Primary Language Race Child Language Primary language

Percent of Indigenous Respondents* Identified by:

*Defined as an affirmative answer to any race or language question

Fifty-five percent of Indigenous respondents were identified only by race, 22% by race and language, 15% by child language, and 8% by primary/child language.

Indigenous Respondents by Migrant-Sending Regions

Percent of indigenous respondents identified by:

South West Central Total

Primary Language

27% 3% 21%

Child Language

57% 8% 46%

Race

75% 92% 76%

Only identified by child language

16% 5% 16%

Summary

 Indigenous identity is multi-faceted and

nuanced

 Multiple question approach better

identifies and allows exploration of components of indigenous identity

 Need for better geographic measure –

municipio of respondent/parent

Contact

Susan Gabbard Aguirre Division of JBS International 555 Airport Boulevard sgabbard@jbsinternational.com