Understanding the U.S. Immigrant Experience: The 2023 KFF/LA Times Survey of Immigrants
The Survey of Immigrants, a partnership between KFF and The Los Angeles Times, takes an in-depth look at the experiences of immigrants, a diverse group that makes up 16% of the U.S. adult population. Immigrants play an important role in the nation’s workforce and culture, and they also face unique experiences and struggles in their communities, workplaces, and health care settings. Nonetheless, they overwhelmingly express optimism about their futures in the U.S. and have high hopes for their children.
The survey is the largest nationally representative survey focused on immigrants, interviewing 3,358 immigrant adults in 10 languages. The results provide a deep understanding of immigrants’ experiences, reflecting their varied countries of origin and histories, immigration statuses, racial and ethnic identities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition to the survey, KFF and The Los Angeles Times also conducted 13 focus groups with immigrant adults across the country.
Other KFF reports from the survey:
Health and Health Care Experiences of Immigrants
Political Preferences and Views on U.S. Immigration Policy Among Immigrants in the U.S.
Five Key Facts About Immigrants’ Understanding of U.S. Immigration Laws, Including Public Charge
Five Key Facts About Immigrants with Limited English Proficiency
Five Key Facts About Black Immigrants’ Experiences in the United States
Explore The Los Angeles Times’ “Immigrant Dreams” project:
In an increasingly pessimistic era, immigrants espouse a hallmark American trait — optimism, published Sept. 17, 2023
Ten languages, thousands of phone calls: Accurately polling immigrants posed unprecedented challenges, published Sept. 17, 2023
Column: We need immigrants more than ever. They keep hope in this country alive, published Sept. 17, 2023
Receiving food stamps won’t kill your green card chances. How ‘public charge’ works, published Sept. 17, 2023
Immigration scams are rampant. Here’s how to avoid getting taken, published Sept. 17, 2023
We asked immigrants across the country these questions. See how your answers line up, published Sept. 17, 2023
Black immigrants face more discrimination in the U.S. The source is sometimes surprising, published Sept. 21, 2023
Low wages, lousy shifts, little room for advancement: Immigrant workers describe on-the-job discrimination, published Oct. 19, 2023
‘Everything’s like a gamble’: U.S. immigration policies leave lives in limbo, published Nov. 30, 2023
Column: Are immigrants better off in Texas or California? It’s complicated, published Nov. 30, 2023
Column: Could immigrants be America’s new swing voter group, published Nov. 30, 2023
Medi-Cal will soon be open to all, ‘papers or no papers.’ She wants her neighbors to know, published Dec. 24, 2023
Acknowledgements:KFF would like to thank the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Dr. May Sudhinaraset, the National Immigration Law Center, the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants, and UnidosUS for their invaluable inputs, insights, and suggestions throughout the planning, fielding, and dissemination of this survey project. |