Chinese Immigrants in Paris Region – ChIPRe

The survey uses an innovative sampling method (Network Sampling with Memory) never before tested in France and specially adapted to survey rare and / or difficult to reach populations. The survey is conducted among 800 people born in China and living in Île-de-France, where two-thirds of the target population reside. The NSM method performs a partial random sampling by selecting individuals from the list of people cited by other people previously interviewed. This method makes it possible to constitute a sample likely to be representative of the population born in China and living in one of the departments of Île-de-France.

First results expected at the end of 2021

First results expected at the end of 2021

First results expected at the end of 2021

P.R. of China-born immigrants are a rapidly growing segment France’s foreign-born population: in 2013, they were the third largest group of newcomers to France, after Moroccan and Algerian. However, they are relatively invisible in statistics and social scientific research, because standard probability sampling designs are not equipped for studying small groups. Larger data sets such as the French census do not contain enough information for an in-depth characterization of immigrant population groups and may miss undocumented or otherwise marginalized migrants. ChIPRe project uses a novel sampling technique for rare and hard-to-survey populations, Network Sampling with Memory (NSM), which will allow to efficiently and cost-effectively recruit a large, population representative sample of Chinese Immigrants in the Paris Region. Advantageously, NSM also collects data about the social networks of respondents, which is rarely featured in traditional surveys of migration despite the crucial role of social networks in migration decisions and immigrant adaptation. ChIPRe data will provide a systematic description of the Chinese-born population in France, and will highlight crucial aspects of immigrant assimilation in the French context, such as how social networks shape immigrants’ labor market incorporation and structural assimilation. Our consortium includes French and U.S.-based scholars with expertise in designing and conducting social and demographic surveys among native and foreign populations in France, and among Chinese populations in China and elsewhere (USA, Tanzania), as well as expertise in the topics of immigration, assimilation, family life cycle, gender studies, and labor market incorporation.
ChIPRe’s main research objectives are: (a) to describe the social demography of the Chinese-born community in Paris and highlight its heterogeneity and internal stratification: demographic profile, socioeconomic characteristics, current living conditions and practices, biographical and life history information pre- and post-arrival in France, region of origin in China, full migration histories and the circumstances and contexts surrounding migration, and the decision-making process and factors involved in the decision to leave their origin country and emigrate to France; (b) to describe patterns of co-ethnic and inter-ethnic ties and identify patterns of segmentation and sources of social stratification within the Chinese community by estimating models of social homophily; (c) to test the prevalence and maintenance of transnational social network ties to members of origin communities in China and elsewhere that may impede incorporation or facilitate return migration and future increases in Chinese immigration; (d) to test models of social incorporation and return intentions of immigrants that include peer effects and social influence; (e) to evaluate the role of peer interactions and communication networks in immigrants’ adaptation to their host society; (f) to describe how and where immigrants find jobs and how this changes with region of origin and educational and occupational experiences prior to migration and time spent in France; (g) to field detailed self-reports of migrants’ perceptions of discrimination that will enable us to draw insights into individual experiences of extra- and intra-community discrimination and social stigmatization in various arenas (job search, public sphere, contacts with public administration, associative life, leisure activities) and associated health outcomes and assimilation indicators; and (h) to assess differences between Chinese immigrant men and women in these various domains, which is all the more relevant because it is believed that women increasingly contribute to recent immigration flows from the PRC to France).