title: The problem posed by immigrants married abroad on intermarriage research: the case of Asian Americans.
abstract: "Cross-sectional and longitudinal variations in rates of intergroup marriage [in the United States] have often been used as indicators of assimilation for minority groups.  This article demonstrates that both types of comparisons can give misleading results when census data are used for calculating intermarriage rates without restrictions.  Census data include immigrants who married abroad (IMAs) in the enumeration.  The inclusion of these individuals in the study of intermarriage inevitably biases the level of minority inmarriage upward, making cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons of intermarriage rates for groups with different levels of IMAs inappropriate.  Cumulation of IMAs also inflates the inmarriage rates of older cohorts, leading to a misimpression of increasing outmarriage among younger cohorts.  These problems are illustrated for several Asian groups using 1980 Public Use Microdata Sample data for California.  Alternative approaches for remedying the problem are proposed and their different implications for assimilation theory and research are discussed."
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saenz
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000569:Americas; D002140:California; D019352:Censuses; D003469:Culture; D003625:Data Collection; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D005006:Ethnicity; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D008393:Marriage; D008913:Minority Groups; D009656:North America; D011153:Population; D011154:Population Characteristics; D012106:Research; D012107:Research Design; D012922:Social Change; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014481:United States
keywords: Acculturation; Americas; Asians; California; Census; Census Methods; Cultural Background; Data Analysis; Data Collection; Data Sources; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Error Sources; Estimation Technics; Ethnic Groups; Evaluation; Intermarriage; Marriage; Marriage Patterns; Measurement; Minority Groups; North America; Northern America; Nuptiality; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Statistics; Research Methodology; Social Change; United States