Economic self-sufficiency: A study of Southeast Asian refugees in Colorado
Author(s):
Hur, Mann Hyung
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ph.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : University of Colorado at Denver, 1990.
Pages:
229
Language:
English
Abstract:
This study examined various economic self-sufficiency achievement patterns among Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, and Hmong refugee groups in Colorado. The analysis gave special focus to the evaluation of: previous job skills, the utilization and effectiveness of the Colorado Refugee and Immigrant Service Programs, and bio-factors such as age, gender, marital status, and family type. Quantitative techniques utilized included descriptive statistics to examine characteristics of the study group population, logit analysis to assess the most significant variables associated with the achievement of self-sufficiency, and analysis of variance and chi square to conduct significant tests for those analysis. The following were found: (1) For all four groups, English proficiency upon arrival and single person families rather than nuclear and extended families were the most commonly significant predictors related to self-sufficiency. (2) Differences in the achievement pattern of self-sufficiency for the four groups existed: in addition to the two most commonly significant variables above, the Vietnamese were influenced by education and length of time in ESL training; the Cambodian were affected by the age variable instead of the household type variable; and the Laotian and Hmong groups were not affected by variables other than the two variables above. (3) The four groups had significantly different self-sufficiency achievement rates: the Laotian had the highest ratio with 65 percent self-sufficiency, while the Hmong demonstrated the lowest rate with 29 percent; and 61 percent of the Cambodian and 43 percent of the Vietnamese achieved this goal during the same period. (4) Unlike previous studies, this study found refugee resettlement programs were effective. This effect was particularly striking for the Laotian group, which despite its relatively less favorable initial situation in terms of the two variables above, reached the highest achievement rate among the four groups by utilizing the program the most extensively. In conclusion, the study points to the need for greater cooperation and understanding between the refugees and the government in the execution of refugee resettlement programs. Refugees should unlock their capacities by utilizing as many of the CRISP programs as they can. Practitioners should try to identify problematic areas and fix them.