Motivations for citizenship.

[Turboguy 6]

I would like to ask for your help by taking a short survey (18 questions) about an immigrants motivations to become a citizen of the USA.

My wife is an immigrant herself and a college student. This survey is a project for her statistics class. Anyone who has applied for citizenship or is planning to apply can participate. It would help me very much if you could take her survey. When it is done I will post the results so you can see how your motivations compare to others. PLEASE HELP.

If your spouse is the immigrant who has or expects to apply for citizenship please ask him or her to fill in the survey or ask about their motivation and do it for them. The more responses I get the more it will help her.

Any suggestion concerning this survey are welcome. Please follow the link below for the survey.

http://www.my3q.com/go.php?url=vwrw/95753

[AusCal 3]

Happy to oblige - hope you get lots of responses.

[akdiver 3]

Only one reason: to get a U.S. passport and make travel around the world easier.

[sweetpiano 0]

Sure, I did it.

Just one thing: the survey directs us to choose 3 most important motivations to become USC, however from the final results (at least immediately after I completed the survey), it looks like people answered Yes to more than 3 motivations. If it is important to the end result of the survey that people choose Yes for only 3 motivations, this needs to be emphasized more clearly in the survey.

[vanee 13]

A few suggestions:

• Don't make questions mandatory. Or if you do, make "I don't know" or "Other" an option. I couldn't submit my survey results because I don't know the answer to the last question. Many VJ couples have considered living in the non-USC's country for part of their lives together.
• Include "To be free of USCIS" or something like that as a reason as it will be one of the most common reasons for this particular audience.
• Instead of repeating "one of three most important motivations for you to obtain US citizenship?" with every choice, I suggest starting the choices with "Please read all the following 10 questions before answering them. Target three of the most important motivations for you to obtain US citizenship from those listed here." Then you've said it once and made the survey easier to read.

Good luck. It sounds like an interesting project.

[Turboguy 6]

A few suggestions:

• Don't make questions mandatory. Or if you do, make "I don't know" or "Other" an option. I couldn't submit my survey results because I don't know the answer to the last question. Many VJ couples have considered living in the non-USC's country for part of their lives together.
• Include "To be free of USCIS" or something like that as a reason as it will be one of the most common reasons for this particular audience.
• Instead of repeating "one of three most important motivations for you to obtain US citizenship?" with every choice, I suggest starting the choices with "Please read all the following 10 questions before answering them. Target three of the most important motivations for you to obtain US citizenship from those listed here." Then you've said it once and made the survey easier to read.

Good luck. It sounds like an interesting project.

Thanks for the suggestions and comments. She is going to try to tweek the survey today to incorporate some of the changes you all have suggested. The software she is using will let her look at the respones and if someone does for example answer yes to all the questions instead of only three as the survey asks she can know that.

She is going to try to incorporate an "uncertain" as an option in the last question.

The early responses so far have been very good. Those who have taken the survey so far have made her a very happy woman. Actually she was virtually jumping up and down with excitement with the good start. I really found the early results of the survey very interesting and some of the priorities people expressed really surprised me. To me it is a very interesting project and we both really apprecaite everyone's help and hope more can take her survey.

[NickD 202]

Ha, need a Part A and a Part B, A for the statistical background data, and B for the actual questions numbered from 1 through 10

8 Is loyalty, commitment and the feeling that America is your home one of three most important motivations for you to obtain US citizenship?

9 Is the prestige of being American citizen one of three most important motivations for you to obtain US citizenship?

10 Is the right to vote and to elect the country’s leaders one of three most important motivations for you to obtain US citizenship?

11 Is the ability to bring your family to the USA permanently after you have received US citizenship one of three most important motivations for you ?

12 Is increased job’s opportunities and the possibility to work for government agencies one of three most important motivations for you to obtain US citizenship?

13 Is it a strong believe in the basic principles (such as liberty, equality and the pursuit of happiness) on which American culture is built one of three most important motivations for you to obtain US citizenship?

14 Is the opportunity to travel throughout the world with the less strict entry requirements and the ability to get help from the US Embassy if needed one of three most important motivations for you ?

15 Is any financial subsidies such as welfare, tuition aid or social security available to an US citizen one of three most important motivations for you to obtain US citizenship?

16 Is the possibility of more easily obtaining citizenship for your child or children one of the three most important motivations for you?

17 If there is another important reason for you to obtain US citizenship, please specify.

As a natural born USC that just happened to meet my soulmate from a different country and we both wanted to the spend the rest of our lives together, the country we would live in became of secondary importance. The key factor was us being together. Even building a log cabin someplace, washing our clothes in a creek, and raising chickens, we would be happy living in peace and together.

One advantage of the USA, besides that I am settled here is that this country has the best treatment for women, practically most of the freedoms that a man enjoys can be enjoyed by women. Do not see a question above that points that out. There are ridiculous religious notions in this world that women are second class citizens from being treated as slaves to having no financial freedom all based on ancient writings treating a woman as the downfall of man. A man is useless without a woman just as a woman is useless without a man, certainly the continuation of the human race would come to a rapid halt without that equality.

But there was a steep price to pay to bring her here, not only financially, but the invasion of my privacy and my relationship to this woman, this I was not aware of at the time when an agency takes it upon itself to enter my bedroom and I as a USC had to prove in my opinion, essentially to self proclaimed gods, what I can and cannot do, but all in the guise of national security. Then with over four years of constant threats to our relationship, namely deportation of her if we forgot to give those fees and applications pouring back to them.

It was very humiliating for both of us to have to go into those interviews. That stupid American Patriot Act limited me on how I can control my own money and share my resources with the woman of my dreams. Then the constant threat of her losing her job and driving privileges because of that worthless conditional residency that hasn't even proved to be effective in keeping crooks from using marriage to bring immigrants into this country. Because of those so called crooks, that isn't a very profitable business to start with, we had to pay the price for that. And does she really have to carry that green card to go to the bathroom? If does say, you have to carry it with you wherever you go, and if it was lost or stolen, cost a small fortune to replace it.

Just so we could enjoy our privacy, not have to report our every move, or be chained to a card was motivation enough to apply for USC and ironically, our last visit to the field office was nice for her oath ceremony. With her USC, not only she, but I as well are finally beginning to enjoy the freedoms of our Bill of Rights, something else you left off your questionnaire.

Civics test showed that voting was most important, wife got to vote in a primary election just five days later. Was told she could only select one of four parties and only vote for the candidates listed under that party. If she crossed voted, her ballot would be rejected. Ironically, under each party, there was no opposition, so either voted for the only candidate listed or not. She asked a very logical question, what am I voting for? Knows enough about our electoral system to learn how Madison Ave. and corrupt it has become. But now has an option, she can run for office herself to make a change, all but the presidents office, can't change that.

Hey, run for congress, serve one short two year term, then we would have free health insurance for the rest of our lives. And you can also get a high paying job as a lobbyist afterwards. Feel she is too intelligent, kind and conscientious to get a government job. Asked her if she could be like some of the people we met working in these positions, didn't think so.

We now require debrainwashing, still feel we have to call the USCIS before we go to our bedroom and have to document whatever it is what we do in there.

[Turboguy 6]

Thanks for sharing all that. It was very interesting. I agree a part A and part B would have made it cleaner and easier to use but I don't think the software she was using allowed that.

I believe she plans to do a little tweeking today to the questions but to change too much might throw the statistics off since there have been a number of votes already. I guess what I mean by that is that if there are too many options for later visitors that were not available to the first voters then it may create problems for her in her analysis of it.

I am rapidly understanding that a major reason for many that she did not think of to include is for people to never have to deal with the darn USCIS again and to put all that behind them once and for all. I think if she can add that question to the list it will be a popular choice. I will suggest that to her and hopefully it can be added.

Thanks for the suggestions. They are all very helpful.

[vanee 13]

As a natural born USC that just happened to meet my soulmate from a different country and we both wanted to the spend the rest of our lives together, the country we would live in became of secondary importance.

Interesting post. It got me thinking about why the survey didn't fit me. It's targeted at a wider audience than VJ folks, so I expect that the choices will apply to a lot of people. But none of the reasons listed are why I plan to get dual citizenship (yes, that's how I see it). I'm reluctant to select choices that are vaguely close because when we do that, survey results will be inaccurate but considered accurate.

Part of the problem is that some of the choices have more than one part. If someone thinks yes to (a) and no to (b) in the question but chooses it because of (a), the results will show that (b) is a reason when it isn't. Numbers 8, maybe 12 (are any increased job opportunities not related to being able to work for the government?), and 14 are this type of question.

Number 10 narrows the choice with the extra words. If it's shortened to "the opportunity to vote," that includes voting for all levels of government. I don't know if anyone would not be able to answer it if all government levels were included instead of just the country's leaders.

I'm living in the US to be with the man I love. We chose the US to live in because with his work and family, it was easier for me to move than for him to. Both his country and mine are good countries to live in, and I did not choose the US over my country. I chose my man, and one of us had to move for us to be together.

In addition to wanting to be free of the USCIS, I plan to get dual citizenship because I believe in contributing to the country I live in. This is where I'll be living, working, paying taxes, volunteering, and so on, so I should commit to this country. The second third of #8 fits, but the last part doesn't, at least not yet.

But as I said, this is targeted at a wider audience, so the choices may fit a different audience better.

[Turboguy 6]

As a natural born USC that just happened to meet my soulmate from a different country and we both wanted to the spend the rest of our lives together, the country we would live in became of secondary importance. The key factor was us being together. Even building a log cabin someplace, washing our clothes in a creek, and raising chickens, we would be happy living in peace and together.

I agree with everything you said and with this part our feelings were the same. We were trapped in A/R for a very long time and explored places to live if we could not get here into the USA. We looked at living in her country and looked at living in another country that would allow us to be together. At the time we finally came out of A/R we had even picked the spot and decided what business venture we would be engaging in to try to put some food on the table. I am happy that we did not have to go that route but I think for many being with someone we love is more important that where we are with them.

Thanks again for sharing the ideas, comments and suggestions.

[ELW 5]

Hubby did the survey too. Happy to help!

[Turboguy 6]

My name in Iren and I am Turboguy’s wife.

First of all I want thank everyone who participated in my survey. Thank you!

I very much appreciate every suggestion expressed here concerning my survey. I modified question #10 to include voting for all levels of government. I would like to add the option "I do not know" to question # 18 (Do you plan to live the rest of your life in America?) but it turned out to be an impossible thing to do after survey has been published. All the survey’ software allows me to change is the wording of questions.

NickD, I did not include the opportunity for a wife and a husband to live together in my list of motivations since permanent resident is allowed to live in America all his/her life without applying for citizenship. I believe this incentive is an important consideration for obtaining permanent residence but not particularly for obtaining citizenship.

Some have mentioned they apply for USA citizenship to avoid being kicked out of the country in case of any new laws affecting immigrants. Others have mentioned that an important motivation was to never have to deal with the darn USCIS again. Question 17 allows you to specify these reasons and any others. When I summarize the results of this survey the motivations will not be listed as "other" but specified separately.

Edited September 20, 2008 by Turboguy

[mattr 0]

For me it's voting (and i'm so pissed off I won't be able to vote in November and making sure I won't be subjected to some crazy policy that would get me removed from the US of A. I've been living here for 10 years and love it, I feel i'm part of this country and I want to contribute more than just paying taxes, I don't want some jerk to decide that i'm not worth it or that i'm not up to his or her standards.

Mattr.

[RICHIE07 0]

Hubby did the survey too. Happy to help!

same here

[Turboguy 6]

For me it's voting (and i'm so pissed off I won't be able to vote in November and making sure I won't be subjected to some crazy policy that would get me removed from the US of A. I've been living here for 10 years and love it, I feel i'm part of this country and I want to contribute more than just paying taxes, I don't want some jerk to decide that i'm not worth it or that i'm not up to his or her standards.

Mattr.

Sorry you are going to have to miss this election. I am sure a lot of people think the right to vote is important. It is a shame that so many who can vote don't. I think people often feel there are so many who vote that thier vote won't matter and I think history has shown that sometimes a few votes do make a difference.

Thanks Mattr, Richie and to all those who have participated so far. I hope more can take the time. You are a great group of people and my wife apprecites the help very much.