Citizenship status, heritage language use, and cultural attitudes

Abstract

This paper examines the association between immigrants’ citizenship status, heritage language (HL) use, and attitudes towards cultural diversity. Using data from the 2019 Swiss Survey on Language, Religion, and Culture, we estimate linear probability models with a rich set of controls. We find that naturalized individuals are less likely to use their HL daily and less likely to view cultural diversity as enriching. Although these associations are modest relative to the influence of family and social environment, they suggest that citizenship status reflects broader patterns of integration and attachment to the host country. While the results are not causal, they highlight how non-language policies may be linked to language use and point to broader societal implications of integration processes.