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Abstract

Despite achieving higher levels of socioeconomic success, second-generation immigrants in Canada paradoxically report a weaker sense of belonging than their first-generation counterparts. This thesis investigates this phenomenon by examining how friendships contribute to social integration and identity formation across immigrant generations. Drawing on Durkheimian integration theory, classic assimilation theory, and the sociology of friendship, this study posits friendship as a micro-level mechanism through which immigrants build a sense of belonging and group identity. Using a sample of 18,196 immigrants from the 2020 Canadian General Social Survey, this study employs logistic regression and moderation analysis to test the relationships between friendship network characteristics (size, proximity, communication satisfaction, ethnic heterogeneity) and a sense of belonging. This research contributes to immigration studies by highlighting the distinct and complex pathways to integration for different immigrant generations.