Intergenerational Educational Mobility among Immigrants and Natives in Germany

Abstract: This study examines the intergenerational educational mobility among immigrants and natives in Germany. Three regression models are estimated to investigate potential differences in the transmission of human capital from parents to their children between immigrants and natives. First, a linear regression model is used to assess the strength of the association between parental and individual educational attainment. Second, a multinomial logistic regression model is estimated to examine the probability of attaining different educational levels based on parental education background. Third, three univariate probit regression models are employed to investigate the probability of upward mobility, downward mobility, and immobility. The results reveal that immigrants generally exhibit higher degrees of mobility than natives. Moreover, compared to Germans, Southern Europeans have a higher probability of being upward mobile, while Central-Eastern Europeans have a higher probability of being downward mobile. In addition, highly educated immigrants from Central-Eastern Europe and Other regions seem to experience more difficulty in passing on their educational advantage to their children than natives. These findings highlight the importance of implementing effective policies to support immigrants and their descendants, thereby ensuring equal educational opportunities for all individuals in Germany.