Portuguese americans’ acculturation, socioeconomic integration, and amalgamation: How far have they advanced?

using a theoretical framework derived from current formulations of assimilation theory, this paper provides a comparative analysis of the acculturation, socioeconomic integration, and amalgamation trends of portuguese immigrants and their descendents in the united states. upward assimilation of portuguese american individuals has been delayed by geographical and occupational concentration and the low levels of education and occupational skills brought to america by the portuguese immigrant generations. what is remarkable, however, is that in aggregate terms, people of portuguese ancestry are not that far from matching the economic performance of people from older ancestry groups in america.