National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×

Statistics on U.S. Immigration

An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research

Barry Edmonston, Editor

Committee on National Statistics and

Committee on Population

Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.
1996

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20418

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit. self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Harold Liebowitz is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Harold Liebowitz are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Funding for this project was provided by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and, through their general contributions to the work of the Committee on National Statistics, several other federal agencies.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 96-69271

International Standard Book Number 0-309-05275-0

Copyright 1996 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Additional copies of this report are available from:
National Academy Press ,
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Box 285, Washington, DC 20418

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×

COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STATISTICS 1994–1995

NORMAN M. BRADBURN (Chair),

National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago

JOHN E. ROLPH (Vice Chair),

Department of Information and Operations Management, School of Business Administration, University of Southern California

JOHN F. GEWEKE,

Department of Economics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

JOEL B. GREENHOUSE,

Department of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University

ERIC A. HANUSHEK,

W. Allen Wallis Institute of Political Economy, Department of Economics, University of Rochester

ROBERT M. HAUSER,

Department of Sociology and Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin, Madison

NICHOLAS JEWELL, Vice Provost,

Chancellor’s Office, University of California, Berkeley

WILLIAM NORDHAUS,

Department of Economics, Yale University

JANET L. NORWOOD,

The Urban Institute, Washington, District of Columbia

EDWARD B. PERRIN,

School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington

KEITH F. RUST,

Westat, Inc., Rockville, Maryland

DANIEL L. SOLOMON,

Associate Dean, Academic Affairs., North Carolina State University

MIRON L. STRAF, Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×

COMMITTEE ON POPULATION 1994–1995

RONALD D. LEE, (Chair),

Department of Demography, University of California, Berkeley

CAROLINE H. BLEDSOE,

Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University

JOSÉ-LUIS BOBADILLA,

World Bank, Washington, DC

JOHN BONGAARTS,

The Population Council, New York, New York

JOHN B. CASTERLINE,

The Population Council, New York, New York

LINDA G. MARTIN,

The RAND Corp., Santa Monica, California

ROBERT A. MOFFITT,

Department of Economics, Johns Hopkins University

MARK R. MONTGOMERY,

The Population Council, New York, New York

ANNE R. PEBLEY,

The RAND Corp., Santa Monica, California

RONALD R. RINDFUSS,

Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

JAMES P. SMITH,

The RAND Corp., Santa Monica, California

BETH SOLDO,

Department of Demography, Georgetown University

MARTA TIENDA,

Population Research Center, University of Chicago

AMY O. TSUI,

Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

JOHN HAAGA, Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×

Acknowledgments

Many people contributed time and expertise to the workshop, and the Committee on National Statistics and the Committee on Population appreciate their cooperation and assistance. In particular, Michael Teitelbaum served most ably as chair of the workshop, and he and the workshop participants contributed many thoughts and comments to the shaping of this report. Thanks are due to those who presented papers at the workshop: Barbara Anderson, Frank D. Bean, M. Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, Michael Greenwood, Guillermina Jasso, Douglas Massey, Mark Rosenzweig, Rubén Rumbaut, James P. Smith, Marta Tienda, and Michael White. The papers presented at the workshop served as the starting point for major sections of this report and are noted in the relevant sections. The workshop also benefited from the valuable and stimulating comments of panelists on the papers: Robert Bach, William Butz, Thomas Espenshade, W. Parker Frisbie, Robert Gardner, Sherrie Kossoudji, Alejandro Portes, Brian Roberts, Mary Waters, and Karen Woodrow. Special appreciation is due to those who assisted as rapporteurs: Jeffrey Passel, Lindsay Lowell, Lisa Roney, Steve Sandell, and Robert Warren.

Workshop participants realized the importance of having an ongoing discussion of changing demands for immigration statistics and especially the ways in which federal agencies attempt to respond to those data needs. One outcome of the workshop was the formation of the Interagency Taskforce on Immigration, at which representatives of federal agencies with an interest in immigration have met regularly since December 1992 under the sponsorship of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Robert Warren, research coordinator of the

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×

INS Office of Policy and Planning, has chaired the task force.1 The task force has formed a number of working groups that are developing ideas and programs to improve immigration statistics in a variety of ways, including data on temporary migrants, data from longitudinal surveys, immigration data in the Current Population Survey, and increased exploitation of administrative data.

The agenda for the workshop was developed in consultation with Edward Lynch and Robert Warren from the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Nancy Moss and Jeffery Evans from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Miron Straf from the Committee on National Statistics, and Linda Martin from the Committee on Population (now at the Rand Corp.). John Haaga from the Committee on Population assisted with the final report.

Barry Edmonston from the Committee on National Statistics was responsible for the conduct of the workshop as well as the preparation of the report. The task of coordinating the workshop was accomplished by Michele Conrad, also from the Committee on National Statistics, who helped to ready the report for publication. The report benefited from the thoughtful comments of reviewers and the editorial skills of Christine McShane of the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education.

We would also like to acknowledge former members of both committees who served during the time the workshop was developed and convened. Such members of the Committee on National Statistics include Burton H. Singer (former chair), Martin H. David, Noreen Goldman, Louis Gordon, and Dorothy P. Rice. Former members of the Committee on Population include Samuel T. Preston (former chair). T. Paul Schultz, Susan C.M. Scrimshaw, Barbara Boyle Torrey, and James Trussell. The input of these former members of both committees greatly helped shape the development of the workshop.

1  

At the time of the workshop, Warren was director of the INS Statistics Division. Linda Gordon is currently acting director of the Statistics Division.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×

Statistics on U.S. Immigration

An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4942.
×
Page R10
Next: Summary »
Statistics on U.S. Immigration: An Assessment of Data Needs for Future Research Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $33.00 Buy Ebook | $26.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

The growing importance of immigration in the United States today prompted this examination of the adequacy of U.S. immigration data. This volume summarizes data needs in four areas: immigration trends, assimilation and impacts, labor force issues, and family and social networks. It includes recommendations on additional sources for the data needed for program and research purposes, and new questions and refinements of questions within existing data sources to improve the understanding of immigration and immigrant trends.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!