Do Immigrants Have Lower Unionization Propensities than Natives?

Using a unique source of data‐the April 1983 Current Population Survey‐this paper examines unionization behavior by nativity. The results indicate that the unionization propensity of immigrants is similar to that of natives, even when controlling for individual, regional, and industrial characteristics. The explanation lies in the lower unionization propensity of all recent entrants to the U.S. labor force, whether immigrant or native.