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Resources, Group Conflict and Symbols: Explaining Anti‐Immigration Hostility in Britain

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  • Lauren McLaren
  • Mark Johnson

Abstract

This article analyses the causes of variation in attitudes to immigration policy in the UK. The key theoretical approaches emphasised are: the role of self‐interest; group conflict over resources; and group conflict over important symbols of Britishness. The connection between perceptions of immigration and crime is also investigated. Based on the 2003 British Social Attitudes Survey, the findings indicate that self‐interest has very little bearing on opposition to immigration and that British citizens instead appear to be most concerned with threats to ingroup resources posed by immigration, threats to the shared customs and traditions of British society (particularly those posed by Muslims) and – to a lesser extent – the potential for increased crime that may result from immigration.

Suggested Citation

  • Lauren McLaren & Mark Johnson, 2007. "Resources, Group Conflict and Symbols: Explaining Anti‐Immigration Hostility in Britain," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 55(4), pages 709-732, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:polstu:v:55:y:2007:i:4:p:709-732
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00680.x
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    1. Sniderman, Paul M. & Hagendoorn, Louk & Prior, Markus, 2004. "Predisposing Factors and Situational Triggers: Exclusionary Reactions to Immigrant Minorities," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 98(1), pages 35-49, February.
    2. Sears, David O. & Lau, Richard R. & Tyler, Tom R. & Allen, Harris M., 1980. "Self-Interest vs. Symbolic Politics in Policy Attitudes and Presidential Voting," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 74(3), pages 670-684, September.
    3. Hendrik van Dalen & Kene Henkens, 2005. "The Rationality Behind Immigration Policy Preferences," De Economist, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 67-83, December.
    4. Heath, Anthony & Evans, Geoffrey & Martin, Jean, 1994. "The Measurement of Core Beliefs and Values: The Development of Balanced Socialist/Laissez Faire and Libertarian/Authoritarian Scales," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(1), pages 115-132, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Facchini, Giovanni & Margalit, Yotam & Nakata, Hiroyuki, 2022. "Countering public opposition to immigration: The impact of information campaigns," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    2. Mathew J. Creighton & Daniel Capistrano & Monika Silva Pedroso, 2023. "Educational Mobility and Attitudes Towards Migration from an International Comparative Perspective," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 817-841, June.
    3. Robert Ford & Matthew J. Goodwin, 2010. "Angry White Men: Individual and Contextual Predictors of Support for the British National Party," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 58(1), pages 1-25, February.
    4. repec:pra:mprapa:47899 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Heizler (Cohen), Odelia & Israeli, Osnat, 2024. "Does a Tragic Event Affect Different Aspects of Attitudes toward Immigration?," IZA Discussion Papers 16802, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Sandra Schneemann & Hendrik Scholten & Christian Deutscher, 2018. "The Impact of Age on Nationality Bias: Evidence from Ski Jumping," Papers 1808.03804, arXiv.org.
    7. Andrea Bohman, 2015. "It's who you Know. Political Influence on Anti-Immigrant Attitudes and the Moderating Role of Intergroup Contact," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 20(3), pages 62-78, August.
    8. Musallam Abedtalas & Adnan Rashid Mamo, 2023. "Host Community Attitudes Towards Internally Displaced Persons: Evidence from Al-Bab, Syria," Journal of Social and Development Sciences, AMH International, vol. 13(4), pages 1-10.
    9. Bhaumik, Sumon K. & Chowdhury, Subhasish M. & Dimova, Ralitza & Fromell, Hanna, 2023. "Identity, Communication, and Conflict: An Experiment," IZA Discussion Papers 16020, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Marfouk, Abdeslam, 2013. "Préjugés et fausses idées sur l’immigration et les immigrés, vecteurs de discrimination en matière d’accès à l’emploi [false ideas about immigrants and immigration and discrimination in labor marke," MPRA Paper 47989, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Michael Savelkoul & Peer Scheepers & William Veld & Louk Hagendoorn, 2012. "Comparing levels of anti-Muslim attitudes across Western countries," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 46(5), pages 1617-1624, August.
    12. Eddy SF Yeung, 2021. "Does immigration boost public Euroscepticism in European Union member states?," European Union Politics, , vol. 22(4), pages 631-654, December.
    13. Scott Blinder & Yvonni Markaki, 2019. "Acceptable in the EU? Why some immigration restrictionists support European Union mobility," European Union Politics, , vol. 20(3), pages 468-491, September.
    14. K Amber Curtis, 2014. "Inclusive versus exclusive: A cross-national comparison of the effects of subnational, national, and supranational identity," European Union Politics, , vol. 15(4), pages 521-546, December.
    15. Oshrat Hochman & Adi Hercowitz-Amir, 2017. "(Dis)agreement with the Implementation of Humanitarian Policy Measures Towards Asylum Seekers in Israel: Does the Frame Matter?," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 897-916, August.
    16. Heizler, Odelia & Israeli, Osnat, 2021. "The identifiable victim effect and public opinion toward immigration; a natural experiment study," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    17. Anna Maria Koukal & Reiner Eichenberger & Patricia Schafera, 2019. "Enfranchising Foreigners: What Drives Natives’ Willingness to Share Power?," CREMA Working Paper Series 2019-10, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    18. Jens Hainmueller & Daniel J. Hopkins, 2013. "Public Attitudes toward Immigration," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 1315, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).

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