Evidence of the effects of ethnic diversity, years of residence, and location on migrant bridging, bonding, and linking, social capital: a New Zealand synthesis

Abstract

New Zealand has one of the highest immigration rates in the developed world, resulting in a high share of foreign-born residents. Its population is highly urbanized, spatially uneven, ethnically diverse, and includes a significant indigenous Māori population. This paper synthesizes two decades of research on migrant social capital in New Zealand, drawing on data from multiple waves of the New Zealand General Social Survey and the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. These datasets provide insights into community participation, volunteering, perceptions of safety and inclusion, and electoral engagement. We draw two main conclusions from our synthesis. First, although migrants arrive with limited local social capital, they gradually build bonding, bridging, and linking, social capital over time. In addition, reported experiences of discrimination decline with longer residence. However, pooled survey data reveal variation in these patterns across time. Second, social capital investment is shaped by the spatial distribution of ethnic groups. Migrants are more likely to engage in bridging social capital in regions where their group is underrepresented, and in bonding social capital in communities where ethnic clustering occurs.