  Using starlight polarization, we present the properties of foreground dust
towards cluster NGC 7380 embedded in H{\sc ii} region Sh 2-142. Observations of
starlight polarization are carried out in four filters using an imaging
polarimeter equipped with a 104-cm ARIES telescope. Polarization vectors of
stars are aligned along the Galactic magnetic field. Towards the east and
southeast regions, the dust structure appears much denser than in other regions
(inferred from extinction contours and colour composite image) and is also
reflected in polarization distribution. We find that the polarization degree
and extinction tend to increase with distance and indication for the presence
of a dust layer at a distance of around 1.2 $kpc$. We have identified eight
potential candidates exhibiting intrinsic polarization by employing three
distinct criteria to distinguish between stars of intrinsic polarization and
interstellar polarized stars. For interstellar polarized stars, we find that
the maximum polarization degree increases with the color excess and has a
strong scatter, with the mean value of 1.71$\pm$0.57$\%$. The peak wavelength
spans $0.40-0.88\mu$m with the mean value of 0.56$\pm$0.07 $\mu m$, suggesting
similar grain sizes in the region as the average diffuse interstellar medium.
The polarization efficiency is also found to decrease with visual extinction as
$P_{max}/A_{V}\propto A_{V}^{-0.61}$. Our observational results are found to be
consistent with the predictions by the radiative torque alignment theory.
