The Generational Bonus and the Muslim Penalty: Views on Integration in Europe and North America

Immigrant integration, and specifically Muslim immigrant integration, is central to the ongoing debates on security in Europe and in the U. S. Policy and academic discussions reflect on the “retreat from multiculturalism” going on in many European countries, alongside continued worries about disaffected youths of “the second generation,” born to immigrant parents and plagued by experiences of discrimination and poor economic circumstances. Although a significant academic literature exists explaining public opinion towards immigration, there has not been transatlantic, large scale, multi-country research available to provide study of public views on integration. This paper draws on a dataset capturing public opinion in North America and Europe in the Transatlantic Trends surveys and includes seven countries: U.S, the U. K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy; and Canada and the Netherlands. The authors find that there are systematic patterns in public perception of immigrant integration, with the public showing higher concern about Muslim integration and comparative optimism about the second generation. Through bivariate and multivariate methods, the authors test various hypotheses, advancing the academic and policy debates surrounding immigrant integration by highlighting several fundamental perception differentials with regard to Muslims and second-generation immigrants.