Migrants’ participation in voluntary groups and inter-ethnic strong ties

This study examines whether inter-ethnic contact within voluntary groups encourages inter-ethnic strong ties among newly arrived Turkish and Polish immigrants in Germany and the Netherlands. Using data from the SCIP panel (“Causes and Consequences of Socio-Cultural Integration Processes among New Immigrants in Europe”), I show with a linear probability model and a fixed effects-design that the likelihood of establishing inter-ethnic strong ties increases when migrants have joined a voluntary group with a small share of co-ethnics. This result points at the relevance of opportunities for contact for the formation of inter-ethnic ties. Furthermore, the association of group composition with the prevalence of inter-ethnic ties was much stronger than that of neighbourhood composition, pointing at the relevance of opportunities for rewarding interaction in suitable contexts. The results suggest that social intervention programmes could enlist the help of voluntary groups to actively integrate migrant populations into immigration societies. • Participation in inter-ethnic voluntary groups boosts inter-ethnic tie formation. • Effects are larger than those of neighbourhood composition. • Fixed effects framework is used. • 2 immigrant populations and 2 different European institutional systems analysed. • Data collected shortly after arrival in the receiving countries.