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A Longitudinal Study of Cuban and
Mexican Immigrants in the United States
The survey data contained in this archive was gathered
over a period beginning in 1973-74 and ending in 1979.
This data is the primary source for the publication Latin
Journey: Cuban and Mexican Immigrants in the United
States (Portes and Bach 1985).
The goal of this comparative project was to map the
process of immigrant adaptation and immigrant workers'
incorporation into the labour market. The longitudinal
character of the study also allowed the researchers to
untangle the sequence of events leading to specific
results and to compare the effects of what immigrants
"bring with them" with those stemming from the social and
economic context that receives them.
Design of the Study
In the study samples of Cuban and Mexican immigrants were
interviewed at the moment of arrival in 1973-1974,
reinterviewed in 1976, and again in 1979. Cubans were
interviewed in Miami; Mexicans were interviewed at the
two major entry points along the Texas-Mexican border:
Laredo and El Paso. In total, 1412 immigrants were
interviewed: 822 Mexicans and 590 Cubans.
Methodological Issues
Both samples are composed of males aged 18 to 60 and not
dependent for their livelihood on others. Information
was collected on basic background characteristics such as
education, occupation, and marital status. As well,
information was gathered on respondents' self-perceptions
and social and economic expectations (ethnic
identity, perception of discrimination, knowledge of U.S.
society, and occupational expectations).
The main difficulty faced by the project was to maintain
contact with respondents in the intersurvey periods. The
first survey included questions on the respondents
intended address and place of employment and information
about relatives living in the United States. This
information served as an anchor for tracking respondents.
Just prior to follow-up surveys, tracing stations were
set up to locate respondents. The first follow-up
tracked over 70 percent of the original respondents,
attrition was much higher for the second follow up.
Organisation of Data Files
Each data file contains data from the original survey
and the two follow up surveys.
For each sample there are three files. The first is an
SPSS system file with an .sav suffix (e.g. cub123.sav).
This is in binary format and must be retrieved as such.
These files may be analyzed using the SPSS statistical
analysis program. An analogous file contains all the data
in ascii (text) format. These files have an .lst suffix
(e.g. mex123.lst). They can be read in to any statistical
analysis software using an appropriate format statement.
For each data file there is a corresponding codebook
in ascii (text) format. These contain information about
variable formats and values.
For further information on the research design and
results of this study see the publication: A. Portes and R. Bach.
1985. Latin Journey: Cuban and Mexican Immigrants in the United
States. Berkeley: University of California Press. | 
