Anti-immigrant attitudes in a changing Europe

Project description

The aim of this project is to examine changes in attitudes towards immigrants in Europe. By analyzing the effects of economic, demographic and political developments within as well as across countries, we will explain general and group-specific trends in anti-immigrant attitudes. The topic is motivated by the need to understand what the economic recession, the rise of the radical right and the demographic changes in Europe mean for anti-immigrant attitudes. Previous research suggests that events such as these should affect attitudes towards immigrants, yet a comprehensive analysis of this dynamic process does not exist. Although it is not a dynamic theory in its original form, group threat theory serves as the theoretical basis for the proposed research, whose results should contribute to the development of this sociological theory of prejudice. We examine how patterns of attitudinal stability/change relate to broader economic, political, and demographic developments in society. Using a multi-level approach, we study trends in different groups (based on age, social class, political dispositions, etc.), within as well as across countries. To carry out the analyses, we utilize high quality survey data and macro indicators that are comparable across countries and across time. Recent improvements in data availability make it possible to expand the time frame, increase the sample size, and therefore perform far more comprehensive analyses than found in earlier scholarship. Doing so will not only enhance our understanding of how anti-immigrant attitudes change over time given specific circumstances, but also improve our general understanding of anti-immigrant attitudes —and by extension, of how such attitudes can be reduced.

Publications