Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study in Norway Modul 2: Explaining socioeconomic outcomes and cultural adaptations in early adulthood

The Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study in Norway (CILSNOR) is a quantitative longitudinal study of long-term economic and cultural integration processes among young people with and without an immigrant background. In CILSNOR Module 1, a survey was carried out in 2016 among first-graders in upper secondary schools in Oslo and Akershus, as well as selected schools in Drammen, which mapped attitudes and experiences, and which was then linked with register data on the family's socio-economic situation. In CILSNOR Module 2, we have so far brought in extensive updated register data about the same young people 5-6 years later. So far, we have published analyzes such as shows • whereas social mobility among children of immigrants is relatively high, the patterns of school dropout and transition to employment and higher education show clear signs of polarization (children of immigrants are overrepresented both at the "top" and at the "bottom"), as well as large groups and gender differences (girls succeed better in education than boys) • social control in adolescence has consequences for integration outcomes in the transition to adulthood. While close parental involvement can have positive consequences for completion of upper secondary school and transition to higher education, particularly for boys, strict parental restrictions have negative consequences, particularly for girls • Attitudes towards gender equality among young people with an immigrant background are partly shaped via parental socialization by institutional conditions in the parents' home country, and this socialization is reinforced by religion and religiosity. But attitudes towards gender equality are to an even greater extent shaped by the institutional conditions in the recipient countries, and children of immigrants in Norway are therefore far more equality-oriented than children of immigrants in other European countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands and England Moreover, a number of new analyzes are currently or shortly being published, which show, among other things, that: • Religion and religiosity are a significant barrier to cultural and social integration among young people, but religious practice can at the same time contribute to positive outcomes in education • Young people with mixed backgrounds (ie one foreign and one native parent) are a growing group in Norway. Compared to young people with two immigrant parents, they have more educational resources in the family, and they are more similar to the majority population in terms of attitudes and social networks. However, they face just as much ethnic discrimination while also lacking some of the protective factors associated with growing up in immigrant families and the optimism that is often referred to as "immigrant-driven", which is reflected in somewhat weaker educational achievements and an increased risk of social marginalization. In the winter of 2024/2025, we will carry out a follow-up survey of the same young people, and in the next two years we will continue to investigate questions related to educational ambitions and social mobility, risk of dropping out and social marginalisation, cultural changes in identity, attitudes, religiosity, belonging etc. happens in the transition from adolescence to adulthood, different patterns with regard to gender differences in life choices and outcomes on the threshold of adulthood, the importance of institutional conditions in Norway for the economic and cultural integration of immigrants' children, as well as how research from Scandinavia can contribute to illuminating international theories of integration and adaptation among children of immigrants. The project is part of an international collaboration with similar surveys that have been carried out in Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Great Britain.

In an era of rapidly increasing ethnic, cultural and religious diversity due to immigration, the question of how children of immigrants adapt and become part of the socio-economic structure as well as the social and cultural fabric of society is a decisive test of sustainability for immigrant receiving countries. As new generations of ethnically diverse adolescents move into adulthood, investigating the forces that shape their opportunities and adaptations not just in in education, employment, but also in the social and cultural life of Norwegian society is crucial for understanding the challenges of the future, in terms of social cohesion, inequality and sustainability.