Wilder Foundation Collaboration

Speaking for Themselves: A Survey of Hispanic, Hmong, Russian, and Somali Immigrants in Minneapolis-Saint Paul

This study was conducted and the formal reports prepared by Wilder researchers. At the Wilder web site, you will find the full report of the study. Detailed information about the methods of the study as well as the text of the survey, the codebook, and the dataset are available at the University of Minnesota's Immigration History Research Center.

About the survey

Telephone interviews were conducted in English, Spanish, Hmong, Russian, and Somali. Researchers screened 12,000 random households in neighborhoods with high numbers of immigrants. Those over 18 and born outside of the United States were invited to participate in the study. Seventy-four percent of those invited to participate did so. The total N for the study is 1,119. The participant breakdown is as follows:

276 Hmong
218 Somali
198 Russian
200 Hispanic or Latino (Mexico, Central America, South America)
227 immigrants from other countries

Some key areas covered in the study and some findings

Why do people come to the US?
- Family reunification
- Employment
Why do people come to Minnesota?
- Family and Friends
- Jobs
Language
- Almost all speak a language other than English most of the time
- 1/3 say they speak and understand English well
Perceptions of treatment by Americans

3/4 say Americans treat them well
40% say Americans understand what it was like in their home country

Leaving home
- 46% miss home and hope to return someday
- 34% miss home, but are happy they left
- 13% do not miss home
Cultural Identity
- Most (74%) identify more with native culture than with American culture
Next Generation
- Those surveyed want their kids to identify with both cultures and speak both English and their native language
Religious Identification
- Primary affiliation:
  - Hispanic: Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)
  - Hmong: Shamanistic
  - Russian: Jewish
  - Somali: Muslim
- 7% report feeling pressure to change religion since coming to the US
Doing Minnesota Things
- Almost everyone had been to the Mall of America and a local park
- Majority have been to library, movies, State Fair, and a museum
Sources of Stress
- Language barrier most significant
Getting News and Information
- Most get their news from TV, family, and friends
Differences by immigrant group
- May be interesting to explore this some more
- Be careful interpreting results margin of error of +/- 6 to 6.5%

Additional notes

There are some qualitative data that go along with this survey. The qualitative work is called Community Conversations. These conversations are not currently publicly available.