Local ties that bind: The role of perceived neighborhood cohesion and disorder for immigrants’ national identification

Immigrants' identification with the receiving society is a core dimension of their integration process. Previous research has much focused on the relevance of language acquisition, job market placement, and intergroup friendship as drivers of identification. At the same time, neighborhoods as immediate living environments reflect a relevant experiential setting in which immigrants learn about the social fabric of the receiving society and to which degree (local) public authorities take their concerns into account. This study examines how perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion and disorder relate to immigrants' identification with the receiving society. Using geo-coded panel data from the Netherlands Longitudinal Lifecourse Study, we find robust empirical evidence that high levels of perceived neighborhood social cohesion predict higher degrees of immigrants' national identification mainly by facilitating intergroup interaction. Our results suggest that perceptions of and experiences in immigrants' immediate living environments are highly relevant for outcomes related to their integration within the receiving society.