The impact of public policies on acculturation: A mixed-method study of Latinx immigrants’ experiences in four US states

Aims This study sought to understand the impact of public policies on Latinx immigrants’ acculturation. Methods Four hundred thirty-eight first generation Latinx immigrants completed survey measures and a subset (n = 73) participated in 12 focus groups across four US states with distinct immigration-related policies: Arizona, New Mexico, Maryland, and Virginia. Results Latinx immigrants living in states with more restrictive immigration-related public policies were less likely to make cultural changes in the ways they desired. Policies impacted acculturation directly by requiring and restricting certain cultural expressions, and indirectly through cultivating the community’s climate. Multiple factors appeared to shape policies’ influences on acculturation, including confusion from swift policy changes, inconsistent policy implementation, competing policies at divergent ecological levels, and individuals’ relative privilege from intersecting personal characteristics. Conclusions More inclusive and supportive immigration-related policies may improve Latinx immigrants’ abilities to acculturate in their preferred ways.