Immigrant youth in Toronto are less likely to steal a bike or deface a bus shelter than Canadian-born youngsters are, according to a new study that challenges assumptions about immigrant youth and violence.
Youths who immigrated to Toronto after the age of 5 tend to be closer to their families and are more likely to aspire to attend university than their Canadian-born counterparts - and that helps keep them out of trouble, concludes the Statistics Canada study, which was released yesterday.
"There is an unwarranted tendency to attach violence and gangs to immigration, and this study shows we should rethink that assumption," noted Myer Siemiatycki, a Ryerson politics professor who specializes in immigration.
The survey uses data from the International Youth Survey, conducted for the first time in Canada in 2006. About 3,200 students aged 13 to 15 in grades 7, 8 and 9 in Toronto public schools were the focus.
The study relied on self-reported delinquent behaviour, a methodology that garners higher rates than police data as it includes incidents not reported to authorities. However, survey results may also exclude some incidents due to absenteeism, which is higher among delinquent youth.
Youths born in Canada reported the highest rates - about 17.2 per cent - of property-related delinquency, defined as setting fire to a building or garbage can, damaging public property or an incident of theft, in the past 12 months.
The Canadian-born children of immigrants were the second-highest, at 13 per cent, followed by 11.3 per cent for those who came to Canada before the age of 5 and 7.7 per cent for those who immigrated after they were 5.
Among the factors influencing the positive behaviour of immigrant youth were their educational aspirations and family background, the study said.
For example, youths who arrived here after the age of 5 were more likely to be close to their mothers, less likely to spend time alone or with friends, and less likely to associate with delinquent peers. "These act as protective factors," the study said.
Youths who immigrated here after the age of 5 were also the least likely to report incidents of violent delinquency, defined as carrying a weapon, uttering threats, fighting in the schoolyard or purse-snatching. Nine per cent reported an incident of this nature in the past year, compared with just over 15.4 per cent for second-generation Canadians (with at least one parent who is an immigrant), 13.6 per cent for those who immigrated here before the age of 5 and 13.1 per cent for those born here to Canadian parents.
Violent behaviour is sometimes associated with victimization. Youths who had been stolen from, hit or bullied were more likely to engage in those behaviours themselves. And students who felt their school was "unsafe" were more likely to report taking part in violent incidents.
The study found that the second-generation Canadians were most likely to report taking part in bullying and threats.
The best predictor of delinquent behaviour is having delinquent peers. The odds were 3.5 times higher for those with delinquent friends.
The study underscores that immigrants are not a cohesive group and that there are many complex variables underlying their behaviour, suggests Minelle Mahtani, a University of Toronto geography professor who specializes in diversity issues.
"The stereotypical belief that immigrants aren't giving to society and only have negative attributes isn't true," she says. "It is much more nuanced."
