Ameri-can-adians : Demography and Identity of Borderline Canadians and Americans

1. Ameri-can-adians: Demography and Identity of Borderline Canadians and Americans Jack Jedwab and Susan W. Hardwick

2. Project goals Expand on the limited research accomplished to date on the spatial patterns and identities of Canadians in the U.S. and Americans in Canada. Learn more about whether Canadians are “melting” into the U.S. melting pot or retaining their distinctive Canadian identities after migration to the U.S. Analyze the level of attachment to Canada of Canadians who reside in the U.S. Compare the (trans?) national identities of Canadians in the U.S. with Americans who permanently reside in Canada.

3. Defining “Canadian” and “American” • In establishing the number of “Americans” in Canada and “Canadians” in the United States census-takers most commonly use place of birth and ancestry (in the United States) and ethnic origin (in Canada). • Those identified by ethnicity and ancestry may be expressing a connection with Canada that may span several generations. • So it cannot be assumed that U.S. census respondents who claim a connection to Canada were born there.

4. Part I: Demographic analysis of “Americans” in Canada

6. Between 2001 and 2006 in Canada, there was nearly a 20% increase in the number of Canadians born in the U.S.

7. U.S.-born in Canada between 2001-2006 almost as high as in previous 10 years (with half choosing to reside in Ontario)

8. More Canadians report U.S. as birthplace than report “American ethnic origin”

9. Nearly half of all “Ethnic Americans” in Canada are third generation or more

10. Visible Minorities represent increasing percentage of recent “Americans” defined by ethnic origin

11. Visible Minorities represent increasing percentage of American-Born Canadians

12. Canada’s U.S.-born more educated than American origin (and also are “less rooted” or “more rooted” in groups with similar SES)

14. Ancestral American belonging to Canada grows with generation

15. American Ancestry Belonging to North American declines with Generation

16. First to third generation “Canadian” vs. “North American” identity

17. Part II: Demographic analysis of “Canadians” in the U.S.

18. Contemporary Trends

20. Number of Canadians migrating to the U.S. higher in first decade of 21st C. than at any time since the 1960s

21. Recession does not deter Canadian migration to the United States

22. “Canadian ancestry” exceeds “Canadian-born” feelings of attachment to Canada (and is also stronger than attachment to the U.S. of American migrants in Canada)

23. Higher percentage of Foreign Born who report French-Canadian Ancestry are naturalized than those who report Canadian Ancestry and Canadian-Born

24. Canadian-born in U.S. do better on most indicators of SES than “ancestrally Canadian”

25. Conclusions, reflections, future research directions…- Defining and locating often invisible subgroups of Can- Am migrants (Canadian-born? U.S.-born? Canadian or American ancestry? Canadian-by-choice?). - Comparative immigrant residential geographies at the neighborhood level in Canada and the U.S.- Unraveling national/transnational identities at the borderland…‘

27. So where do we go from here?- Spatial patterns (and related social, economic, and environmental processes) of Canadians in the U.S. need further analysis.- Comparative studies of Canadians in the U.S. and Americans in Canada are also long overdue.- In particular, a critical need remains for an in-depth analyses of the (trans)national identities and attachments of Can-Am migrants now and in the years to come.