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Regional Variations in Attitudes Towards Refugees: Evidence from Great Britain

Author

Listed:
  • Crawley, Heaven

    (Swansea University)

  • Drinkwater, Stephen

    (University of Roehampton)

  • Kauser, Rukhsana

    (University of Westminster)

Abstract

This paper examines changes in public attitudes towards refugees across Britain over almost three decades using data from British Social Attitudes Surveys. It therefore covers the period when immigration as a whole has increased and the number of asylum applications reached their highest levels. The data are examined in periods before and after the rise in asylum applications and from a sub-national perspective because of possible differences in attitudes between areas, as well as in levels and types of inward migration. Overall, the British public appear to have become less tolerant towards refugees. This suggests that rising levels of immigration and asylum, a political discourse which positioned asylum as a particular problem in terms of the management of migration flows and accompanying press coverage have resulted in a hardening of opinions. These changes have occurred despite increased educational attainment amongst the British population, which might be expected to result in more liberal attitudes. The sub-national analysis indicates that people living in London and Scotland display the most tolerant views both before and after the increase in immigration and asylum. However, characteristics such as belonging to an ethnic minority group or possessing a degree, which are higher in London, account for a large portion of the regional variations. Controlling for such factors in regression analysis reduces the differentials relative to London, especially in more recent years.

Suggested Citation

  • Crawley, Heaven & Drinkwater, Stephen & Kauser, Rukhsana, 2013. "Regional Variations in Attitudes Towards Refugees: Evidence from Great Britain," IZA Discussion Papers 7647, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7647
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Giovanni Facchini & Anna Maria Mayda, 2009. "Does the Welfare State Affect Individual Attitudes toward Immigrants? Evidence across Countries," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 91(2), pages 295-314, May.
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    4. Bauer, Thomas K. & Lofstrom, Magnus & Zimmermann, Klaus F., 2000. "Immigration Policy, Assimilation of Immigrants and Natives' Sentiments towards Immigrants: Evidence from 12 OECD-Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 187, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
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    Cited by:

    1. Daams, Michiel N. & Proietti, Paola & Veneri, Paolo, 2019. "The effect of asylum seeker reception centers on nearby house prices: Evidence from The Netherlands," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    2. Encarnación Soriano & Verónica C. Cala, 2019. "What Attitudes Toward Refugees Do Future European Teachers Have? A Comparative Analysis between France and Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-13, May.
    3. Joan Martinez, 2022. "The Long-Term Effects of Teachers' Gender Stereotypes," Papers 2212.08220, arXiv.org, revised Jul 2023.
    4. Євдокимов, Віктор Валерійович & Шиманська, Катерина Володимирівна, 2017. "Стан та нормативно-правове регулювання міграції біженців та шукачів притулку у ЄС як інституційний базис управління міжнародними міграціями // State and legal regulation of refugees’ and asylum seeker," Проблеми теорії та методології бухгалтерського обліку, контролю і аналізу // Problems of Theory and Methodology of Accounting, Control and Analysis, Житомирський державний технологічний університет // Zhytomyr State Technological University, vol. 38(3).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    public attitudes; regional variations; immigration; refugees;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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