‘Bend It Like Beckham’: Identity, Socialization, and Assimilation∗

This paper is about ethnic identity. We first develop a model of an individual’s identity as resulting from the interaction of the individual’s identity choice, cultural transmission and socialization inside the family, peer effects and social interactions. We then put the model to data using the UK Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities. We show that the main determinants of the intensity of ethnic identity include past racial harassment and discrimination experiences, language spoken at home and at work, education, and structure of the family. Most importantly, we find that identity and socialization to an ethnic minority are, other things equal, more intense in mixed neighborhood than in segregated neighborhoods. This last result is consistent with our theoretical analysis and has important and unnoticed implications for integration and assimilation policies.