Immigration satisfaction of Chinese Americans: An empirical examination

This study examined the immigration satisfaction of a group of 95 Chinese Americans living in San Francisco. Immigration satisfaction was hypothesized to be negatively mediated by the presence of immigration-related problems and positively mediated by a bicultural life-style. Personal demographic characteristics were postulated to play a limited role in predicting immigration satisfaction but may do so indirectly through their contribution to the presence of problems and cultural orientation. The findings generally supported these hypotheses. Immigrants who experienced problems with language, discrimination, and social isolation were less satisfied, whereas those who had both Chinese and non-Chinese close friends and enjoyed more Chinese- and mainstream American-oriented activities were more satisfied. By and large, the demographic variables did not directly mediate immigration satisfaction but did affect immigration-related problems and cultural orientation, through which they may have indirectly influenced immigration satisfaction. The only exception was that married immigrants were less satisfied than unmarried immigrants. Implications of the findings were discussed.