Factors Affecting Attitudes Toward Migrants: An International Comparative Study

Anti-immigration public opinions have become a central public policy issue. Based on the World Value Survey datasets, this research examines the factors affecting attitudes toward immigrants from an international comparative perspective. Our analysis provides supporting evidence for the collective t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chinese political science review 2022-06, Vol.7 (2), p.234-258
Main Authors: Gu, Yanfeng, Zhang, Xingxi, Lin, Zhiwen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altruism
Attitudes
Conservatism
Hostility
Ignorance
Immigrants
Immigration
Immigration policy
Migrants
Migration
National identity
Original Article
Political Science
Political Science and International Relations
Political Science and International Studies
Public policy
Religiosity
Threats
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Summary:Anti-immigration public opinions have become a central public policy issue. Based on the World Value Survey datasets, this research examines the factors affecting attitudes toward immigrants from an international comparative perspective. Our analysis provides supporting evidence for the collective threat theory, showing that the perceptions of economic, cultural, and security threats are closely correlated with discriminatory attitudes against immigrants. While national identity and political conservatism lead to hostility, the role of religiosity is more complex. In particular, religious affiliation and attendance reduce antagonism, but the centrality and exclusivism of religiosity promote ignorance. Anti-immigration attitudes coexist with other discriminatory ideologies, such as traditional gender ideas, and they are negatively correlated with altruism. Our research implies that sociotropic concerns are likely to be more important in understanding the formation of immigration attitudes than are individual socioeconomic statuses.
ISSN:2365-4244
2365-4252
DOI:10.1007/s41111-021-00186-1