Influence of Home and Host Country Factors on Immigrants Political Engagement

Abstract

This study examines the political engagement of immigrants in South Korea based on social identity theory and the theory of transnationalism. This research is particularly interested in investigating two sets of factors—native country factors and host country factors. The present study argues that immigrants in South Korea should be understood as transnational political actors whose political participation may be influenced by their experiences with their native countries and their new country. The present study utilizes the 2012 Social Survey on Foreign Residents, conducted by the Ministry of Justice of South Korea. According to the results, host country variables, but not home country variables, are influential in increasing the political engagement of immigrants. These results imply that their host country experience might be important to the immigrants political engagement, while the impact of their connection to the home country or their experience in the home country is limited.