CIS immigrants in Israel: One block or segmented parts?

Immigration literature deals with the process of sociocultural adjustment of immigrants. A variety of adjustment patterns is discussed in this literature; these patterns describe how newcomers enter a host society. Our research question is whether all CIS immigrants in Israel have used the same socio-cultural adjustment patterns or whether there are distinct segments among them that have employed different patterns. The purpose of our study is therefore twofold: to diagnose socio-cultural adjustment patterns, and to characterize the socio-demographic profile of individuals who used each type of pattern. In order to identify sociocultural adjustment patterns, 434 CIS newcomers to Israel were asked to rate their adjustment level in 11 areas: basic Hebrew language fluency, Israeli culture, child schooling, economic-occupational, correspondence between resources and rewards, housing, Israeli identification, social relations with Israelis, psychological well-being, political involvement in Israel, and affinity to Russian culture. Cluster analysis reveals four distinguishable socio-cultural adjustment patterns: selected acculturation, integration, stagnation and segregation. Multinomial regression was applied in order to describe the socio-demographic profile of each sub-group that used one of these patterns. The theoretical contribution of the study is mainly the unveiling of a hitherto uncovered pattern: the stagnative, in which linguistic and cultural adjustment are not accompanied by occupational and economic achievements. The assimilative pattern which was discussed by many immigration researchers was not found at all in our sample. We hope that the suggested segmentation based on sociocultural adjustment patterns will assist absorption experts as well as policy makers in Israel (and other immigrant countries) for various purposes, such as identifying sub-groups for implementation of educational programs designed to enhance Jewish and Israeli identity, improving the social and psychological welfare of immigrants, or characterizing media consumption patterns for explanatory or marketing campaigns.