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Education and Anti-Immigration Attitudes: Evidence from Compulsory Schooling Reforms across Western Europe

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  • CAVAILLE, CHARLOTTE
  • MARSHALL, JOHN

Abstract

Low levels of education are a powerful predictor of anti-immigration sentiment. However, there is little consensus on the interpretation of this correlation: is it causal or is it an artifact of selection bias? We address this question by exploiting six major compulsory schooling reforms in five Western European countries—Denmark, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Sweden—that have recently experienced politically influential anti-immigration movements. On average, we find that compelling students to remain in secondary school for at least an additional year decreases anti-immigration attitudes later in life. Instrumental variable estimates demonstrate that, among such compliers, an additional year of secondary schooling substantially reduces the probability of opposing immigration, believing that immigration erodes a country’s quality of life, and feeling close to far-right anti-immigration parties. These results suggest that rising post-war educational attainment has mitigated the rise of anti-immigration movements. We discuss the mechanisms and implications for future research examining anti-immigration sentiment.

Suggested Citation

  • Cavaille, Charlotte & Marshall, John, 2019. "Education and Anti-Immigration Attitudes: Evidence from Compulsory Schooling Reforms across Western Europe," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 113(1), pages 254-263, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:113:y:2019:i:01:p:254-263_00
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    1. Hofmarcher, Thomas, 2021. "The effect of education on poverty: A European perspective," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    2. Pelin Akyol & Naci Mocan, 2023. "Education and Consanguineous Marriage," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 17(1), pages 114-171.
    3. Sander Kunst & Theresa Kuhn & Herman G van de Werfhorst, 2023. "As the twig is bent, the tree is inclined? The role of parental versus own education for openness towards globalisation," European Union Politics, , vol. 24(2), pages 264-285, June.
    4. Astghik Mavisakalyan & Yashar Tarverdi, 2023. "Identity and support for policies towards Indigenous people: evidence from Australia," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 167(1), pages 535-570, June.
    5. Snower, Dennis J. & Bosworth, Steven J., 2021. "Economic, social and political fragmentation: Linking knowledge-biased growth, identity, populism and protectionism," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    6. Sander Kunst & Theresa Kuhn & Herman G van de Werfhorst, 2020. "Does education decrease Euroscepticism? A regression discontinuity design using compulsory schooling reforms in four European countries," European Union Politics, , vol. 21(1), pages 24-42, March.
    7. Daria Denti & Alessandra Faggian, 2021. "Where do angry birds tweet? Income inequality and online hate in Italy," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 14(3), pages 483-506.
    8. Albarrán, Pedro & Hidalgo-Hidalgo, Marisa & Iturbe-Ormaetxe, Iñigo, 2020. "Education and adult health: Is there a causal effect?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    9. Thao Bui, 2023. "Compulsory education reform and child mortality in Peru," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(9), pages 1941-1963, September.
    10. Mirjam Bächli & Teodora Tsankova, 2021. "Does Labor Protection Increase Support for Immigration? Evidence from Switzerland," CESifo Working Paper Series 9373, CESifo.
    11. Li, Huafang, 2019. "Communication for Coproduction: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda," OSF Preprints y4q9v, Center for Open Science.
    12. Valerio Pellegrini & Valeria De Cristofaro & Marco Salvati & Mauro Giacomantonio & Luigi Leone, 2021. "Social Exclusion and Anti-Immigration Attitudes in Europe: The mediating role of Interpersonal Trust," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 697-724, June.
    13. Sumit S. Deole & Yue Huang, 2024. "Suffering and prejudice: do negative emotions predict immigration concerns?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-39, June.
    14. Marcus Österman, 2021. "Can We Trust Education for Fostering Trust? Quasi-experimental Evidence on the Effect of Education and Tracking on Social Trust," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 154(1), pages 211-233, February.
    15. Gianmarco Daniele & Andrea F. M. Martinangeli & Francesco Passarelli & Willem Sas & Lisa Windsteiger, 2024. "Pandemic distress and anti‐immigration sentiments," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 91(363), pages 1124-1155, July.
    16. Anne Maaike Mulders & Frank Tubergen, 2023. "The Role of Education in Native Dutch Adolescents’ Muslim Population Size Perceptions," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1137-1156, September.
    17. Stommes, Drew & Aronow, P. M. & Sävje, Fredrik, 2023. "On the Reliability of Published Findings Using the Regression Discontinuity Design in Political Science," I4R Discussion Paper Series 22, The Institute for Replication (I4R).
    18. Deole, Sumit S. & Zeydanli, Tugba, 2021. "Does education predict gender role attitudes?: Evidence from European datasets," GLO Discussion Paper Series 793 [rev.], Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    19. Eveline S. van Leeuwen & Solmaria Halleck Vega, 2021. "Voting and the rise of populism: Spatial perspectives and applications across Europe," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(2), pages 209-219, April.
    20. Alizade, Jeyhun, 2024. "The Electoral Politics of Immigration and Crime," OSF Preprints h967e, Center for Open Science.
    21. DeCicca, Philip & Krashinsky, Harry & Nesson, Erik, 2023. "Rockefellers and Goldwaters: The effect of compulsory schooling on voting preferences," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    22. Di Iasio, Valentina & Wahba, Jackline, 2023. "Natives' Attitudes and Immigration Flows to Europe," IZA Discussion Papers 15942, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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