Generational Differences

The Generational Difference: Age Changes Perception Ideology contributes greatly to the identity of immigrants, for it is ingrained in the culture from which they come. When integrating into American society this results in relatively different outcomes depending on the age at which individuals immigrate. First generation immigrants, for example, do not fair as well economically compared to their children (Schüller 2015, 965). Moreover, if the second generation grew up in an integrated household ― that is, one that did not assimilate completely to the dominant culture nor isolate themselves from said culture ― their educational prospects in life were forecasted as being far more favourable (Schüller 2015, 965). Therefore, in second generation
Amongst the youth, religion is falling out of favour; this can in part be attributed to the fact that younger individuals thought processes are far more cognitive in nature, and as a result they do not need religion as a means of coping with their situation (Zuckerman, Silberman, and Hall 2013). Older individuals on the other hand, rely heavily on religion as a means of coping (Zuckerman, Silberman, and Hall 2013). An illustration of the effects that religion has on older individuals is how adult African immigrants to the USA are susceptible to health issues when met with acculturation. In particular, the conflict between what the African immigrants understand religion as being compared to what it is seen as in the USA affected their health (Agbemenu 2016,
As a result, the poorer economies of the world rest in nations (that form for the most part the developing world) that were at one point colonial territories. Immigrants to the USA are not necessarily always from these countries, but over 50% of immigrants arrive from countries that have in some capacity been affected by neocolonialism ("Largest U.S. Immigrant Groups Over Time, 1960-Present" 2015). In part, immigrants are forced to emigrate from nations of the developing world, as they are affected by neo-colonial acts such as land grabbing, wherein foreign countries buy up land in Africa to feed said nation’s population (Laishley 2014). A consequence of this phenomena is that, despite the purchase of land by a foreign government, the nation that utilizes that land does not necessarily employ individuals of the nation which they are working in (Laishley 2014). For this reason, many individuals from those African nations may choose to emigrate from the nation in hopes of a better life in countries such as the