Civic participation of haitian immigrants in the dominican republic: An urban-rural/peri-urban comparison

Abstract

Using data on 91 respondents from a 2017 household survey, this study examines the civic participation of Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic. We analysed self-reported attendance at voluntary association meetings (labour, community improvement, sports/recreation, religious, and parent-teacher). The purpose was to identify the extent to which respondents engaged in civic life and to determine whether there were significant urbanrural/peri-urban differences in attendance, in order to shed light on if the location of residence may or may not shape participant involvement. The results revealed that participation was highest in parent-teacher meetings (78%) and lowest in labour meetings (18%). Across all five meeting types, there was a higher percentage of attendance by rural/peri-urban than urban participants. The differences between urban and rural/peri-urban participant attendance were significant for all of the association meeting types, except for parentteacher meetings. This research is important for appreciating the previously under-examined issue of civic engagement of Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic with special attention given to geographic variation.