Social support amongst recent immigrants in Hong Kong

Abstract

Immigrant adaptation has been a major concern amongst social scientists. Researchers have been particularly concerned about the ability of immigrants to obtain support during the early years as they begin to settle in the host society (Alba 2009; Alba and Nee 2003; MacDonald and Sampson 2012; Massey et al. 1990; Parrado 2012; Winders 2012). These recent immigrants may face a lot of issues, from housing to jobs (Iceland and Scopilliti 2008; Portes and Zhou 1996). To deal with these issues, they may need help from those who know the host society better. Research provides different frameworks to understand this process, from the classic assimilation perspective, to segmented assimilation, to the group boundary perspective of recent years (Alba and Nee 2003; Massey and Sánchez 2010; Park, Burgess and McKenzie 1967; Wimmer 2008; Zhou 1997). All these perspectives assume the importance of extending social networks to gain support in the process of integration.