Perceived sense of control, power, and capacity in civic participation of aging Chinese immigrants

Hongmei Tong, Daniel Wing Leung Lai

Research output: Contribution to conferenceConference paperpeer-review

Abstract

Immigrant older adults are often perceived as powerless due to their status as immigrants and as older persons. From a strength perspective, having their voices heard is crucial to changing their vulnerable status, and yet research on how immigrant older adults perceive their own capacity and power in civic participation is lacking. Using the aging Chinese immigrants in Calgary as a case example, this research aimed to explore the perceived sense of control, power, and capacity of aging immigrants in the context of civic participation. A qualitative research design, based upon constructivist grounded theory, was adopted. A total of 13 Chinese immigrants aged 65 years and above were interviewed. Five were interviewed in semi- structured in-depth personal interviews and eight were interviewed in a focus group. The results showed that most participants hoped to engage in Canadian civic life and were concerned with the events happened in Canada while in reality the opportunities for and the level of civic participation were quite limited. Most felt powerless and lacking of sense of control, particularly in civic participation. Cultural bias, language barriers and lacking of support services were perceived as contributing factors to their limited level of engagement and civic participation capacity. Professionals working with immigrant older adults need to develop more channels for civic participation by this group. Strategies are needed to help immigrant older adults better equipped for community engagement so that their voices could be better heard.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 19 Oct 2012
Event41st Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting of the Canadian Association on Gerontology - Hyatt regency, Vancouver, Canada
Duration: 18 Oct 201220 Oct 2012
https://cagacg.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/CAG2012_Program_EN.pdf (Conference program)
https://cagacg.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/CAG2012_Abstracts-Abreges.pdf (Conference abstract)
https://cagacg.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/CAG2012_Addendum.pdf (Conference addendum)

Conference

Conference41st Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting of the Canadian Association on Gerontology
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityVancouver
Period18/10/1220/10/12
Internet address

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