Modeling Spatial Local Variations in Intermarriage

Abstract

We utilized all Spanish marriage records available at the municipality level from 2005-2007 to model spatial variations in intermarriage. We constructed a spatial regime zero inflated Poisson model and grouped-data probit model, with spatially lagged regressors, to predict the absolute and relative presence of intermarriage between Spaniards and migrants based on structural characteristics of the local marriage markets and their neighboring areas (i.e., relative group size, homogeneity of national origins, and sex ratio indicators). Our models do not assume collapsibility of the marriage market. Instead, they incorporate the local dimension of the marriage market and examine the association between intermarriage and structural variables at the spatial local level. The model also investigates intermarriage variation by size of place. The local characteristics of the marriage markets are robust indicators of both the absolute and relative importance of intermarriage, but their impact varies by size of municipality. The relative size of the migrant community positively impacts intermarriage. The homogeneity of the origins of migrants is negatively related to it. The impact of sex ratios in the migrant and native communities on intermarriage is not uniform across all municipalities and is not always related to more intermarriage.

Modeling Local Variations in Intermarriage

“…Model estimations and testing were computed with the software STATA, version 15. These results can be replicated using the database and coding available from [61]. In the second column of Table 4, this model does not differentiate among size of place, i.e., all municipalities regardless of size are pooled in the same regression.…”

“…Model estimations and testing were computed with the software STATA, version 15. These results can be replicated using the database and coding available from [61].…”

Modeling Spatial Local Variations in Intermarriage

“…Table 3 shows the Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimations of the ZIP model for both marriages between Spanish men and migrant women (first panel) and between Spanish women and migrant men (second panel). These results can be replicated using the database and coding available from [59]. In the second column of Table 3, this model does not differentiate between size of place, i.e., all municipalities regardless of size are pooled in the same regression.…”