One of the contentious topics that is sure to spark discussion nowadays is the issue of the difference between natural US citizens and immigrants. Some feel that immigrants are different from natural US citizens in some aspects, and these differences lead to ruin of the American economy and society. Others maintain that there is no significant difference between the two and as such they should be treated more or less the same.
Immigrants and US citizens can be compared in different ways, one of which being the topic of domestic violence. Domestic violence is an umbrella term for any action that can be classified as violent and aggressive that occurs within a household, usually done by a partner or family member. Examples of acts that fall under domestic violence include physical and sexual assault, intimidation, and physical and emotional abuse (“What is Domestic Violence?”) Knowing whether there is a difference in the incidences of violence between the two groups may yield insight to the ongoing question of whether the two groups really differ in values with each other, and thus may offer more discussion on whether they should be treated differently.
In order to compare the two groups, statistical analysis can be performed on the data. A specific statistical method applicable to the problem is a test of hypothesis of in a population. The null hypothesis for this is that the proportion of violence victims who were immigrants is higher than 50%, meaning that it is higher compared to the victims who were non-immigrants. The alternative hypothesis, naturally, is that the immigrant victims are less than 50%. It is assumed that the two populations are normal. Data from this study were taken from a study by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in 2002. Data from 339 victims of femicide (murder of females) were taken, and it was revealed that at least 51% (n = 173) of them came from immigrant populations.
In a statistical test of hypothesis, there is test statistic—a value which provides the critical criterion for rejecting or accepting the null hypothesis. In our example, the level of significance to be used will be 5%, so the test statistic will be Z(0.025) = 1.96. This value will be compared to the Zcomp—if the absolute value of the computed Z-value is less than this value, then the null hypothesis will be rejected.
Zcomp= p-p0p0(1-p0)n
where p is the computed proportion = 0.51, p0 is the hypothesized proportion = 0.5 , and n is the population size = 339. Plugging those values, we get
Zcomp= 0.51-0.50.5(1-0.5)339=13.56
Since 13.56>1.96, we fail to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, at 5%, it can be said that there is no difference between immigrants and US-born citizens.
The results of this study show that there are no significant differences between the two populations, so there is no reason to assume that immigrants are really more violent than US citizens, at least in terms of female murder. In order to support this study, more research must be made on other aspects of violence such as rape and emotional abuse. So far, this analysis can be made as a supporting fact to the fact that immigrants and US citizens are not different in terms of violence, which can hopefully give light to the immigration issue nowadays.
Works Cited
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. “Femicide in New York City: 1995 – 2002”. NYC.gov. NYC.gov, 2004. Web. 30 July 2016.
“What is Domestic Violence?” National Coalition against Domestic Violence. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, n.d. Web. 30 July 2016.
