The Acculturation Process and Philanthropic Giving: Evaluating the Effect of Sociocultural Adaptation and Ethnic Identity

Abstract

Although literature on the field of philanthropy has examined why and how individual give, there is a lack of attention paid to the acculturation process that occurs after immigrants arrival to a host country. This study focuses on two salient parts of the acculturation process—sociocultural adaptation and ethnic identity—and empirically examines their respective effects on giving. Based on data from the Korean-American Philanthropic Survey, regression models are constructed to estimate such effects. The empirical results show that immigrants with a higher level of sociocultural adaptation are more likely to give than their counterparts in terms of both participation and the amount. In addition, immigrants with a stronger Korean identity are more likely to give more than their counterparts. Finally, some resources that immigrants possess are positively related to giving, including education, religiosity, age, and household income.