Asians are likely to surpass Latinos as the nation’s largest immigrant group shortly after the middle of the century as the wave of new arrivals from Latin America slows but trans-Pacific migration continues, according to a study released today.
According to the Pew Research Center analysis of Census figures, the makeup of the immigrant population will change dramatically by 2065.
“In 2015, 46 percent of immigrants residing in the U.S. are Hispanic, but as immigration from Latin America, especially Mexico, has slowed in recent years, the share of foreign born who are Hispanic is expected to fall to 31 percent by 2065,” according to the report. “Meanwhile, Asian immigrants are projected to make up a larger share of all immigrants, becoming the largest immigrant group by 2055 and making up 38 percent of the foreign-born population by 2065.”
The report noted that Hispanics will still remain a larger share of the nation’s overall population.
“The country’s overall population will feel the impact of these shifts,” according to the report. “Non-Hispanic whites are projected to become less than half of the U.S. population by 2055 and 46 percent by 2065. No racial or ethnic group will constitute a majority of the U.S. population. Meanwhile, Hispanics will see their population share rise to 24 percent by 2065 from 18 percent today, while Asians will see their share rise to 14 percent by 2065 from 6 percent today.”
The foreign-born, who made up just 5 percent of the nation’s population in 1965, when Congress completely rewrote the country’s immigration laws, make up 14 percent today, the study found. They are projected to be 18 percent of the population by 2065.
Americans have a more positive view of Asian immigrants than of Latinos, according to a survey Pew did along with the population projections.
Nearly half of American adults, 47 percent, said immigrants from Asia have had a mostly positive effect on American society. Only 26 percent said the same about immigrants from Latin America, with 37 percent saying they thought the effects of Latin American immigration had been mostly negative, according to the study. Immigrants from the Middle East fared worse in public opinion, with just 20 percent saying their effect on the country has been mostly positive, and 39 percent saying their impact has been mostly negative.
“Many Americans say that immigrants to the U.S. are not assimilating,” according to the study. “Two-thirds of adults say immigrants in the U.S. today generally want to hold on to their home country customs and way of life, while only about a third say immigrants want to adopt American customs. The survey also finds that 59 percent of Americans say most recent immigrants do not learn English within a reasonable amount of time, while 39 percent say they do.”
