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Should They Stay or Should They Go? Attitudes Towards Immigration in Europe

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  • Sarah Bridges
  • Simona Mateut

Abstract

type="main" xml:id="sjpe12051-abs-0001"> This paper examines the main determinants of individual attitudes towards immigration in Europe. Our results suggest that both economic and non-economic variables shape attitudes towards immigration, but the relative importance of these factors depends crucially on the race/ethnicity of the arriving immigrants. While fears over labour market competition are more likely to shape attitudes towards the arrival of same race immigrants, more exposure to immigrants reduces opposition towards the arrival of different race immigrants. These findings persist after controlling for socioeconomic characteristics, and after exploiting the data to allow for cohort-specific effects.

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  • Sarah Bridges & Simona Mateut, 2014. "Should They Stay or Should They Go? Attitudes Towards Immigration in Europe," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 61(4), pages 397-429, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:scotjp:v:61:y:2014:i:4:p:397-429
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    2. Chasapopoulos, Panagiotis, 2018. "The impact of international immigration and cultural diversity on economic performance, public attitudes and political outcomes in European regions," Other publications TiSEM d4a10f2a-c1a2-4edd-9887-2, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Azarnert, Leonid V., 2018. "Refugee resettlement, redistribution and growth," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 89-98.
    4. Peter Huber & Doris Oberdabernig, 2015. "The Impact of Welfare Benefits on Natives' and Immigrants' Attitudes Towards Immigration. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 82," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 57890, March.
    5. Huber, Peter & Oberdabernig, Doris A., 2016. "The impact of welfare benefits on natives' and immigrants' attitudes toward immigration," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 53-78.
    6. Lenka Dražanová & Jérôme Gonnot, 2023. "Public Opinion and Immigration in Europe: Can Regional Migration Flows Predict Public Attitudes to Immigration?," RSCAS Working Papers 2023/18, European University Institute.
    7. Jesús Crespo Cuaresma & Peter Huber & Anna Raggl, 2015. "Reaping the Benefits of Migration in an Ageing Europe. WWWforEurope Policy Brief No. 7," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58161, March.
    8. Boris Heizmann & Alexander Jedinger & Anja Perry, 2018. "Welfare Chauvinism, Economic Insecurity and the Asylum Seeker “Crisis”," Societies, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-17, September.
    9. Braakmann Nils & Waqas Muhammad & Wildman John, 2017. "Are Immigrants in Favour of Immigration? Evidence from England and Wales," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 17(1), pages 1-16, February.
    10. Charlotte Clara Becker, 2019. "The Influence of a Migration Background on Attitudes Towards Immigration," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 279-292.
    11. Hansen, Ole-Petter Moe & Legge, Stefan, 2017. "Quantifying Determinants of Immigration Preferences," Economics Working Paper Series 1710, University of St. Gallen, School of Economics and Political Science.
    12. Ole-Petter Moe Hansen & Stefan Legge, 2016. "Drawbridges Down: Altruism and Immigration Preferences," CESifo Working Paper Series 6204, CESifo.
    13. Huber, Peter & Oberdabernig, Doris A., 2016. "The impact of welfare benefits on natives' and immigrants' attitudes toward immigration," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 53-78.

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