Economic Costs, Economic Benefits, and Attitudes Toward Immigrants and Immigration

Abstract

Perceptions of economic costs and benefits play an important role in determining attitudes toward immigrants and immigration. The Unified Instrumental Model of Group Conflict, and the correlational and experimental research supporting it, indicate that when immigrants are seen as competing with members of the host society for economic resources, negative attitudes toward immigrants and immigration result. Yet measures taken to reduce this perceived competition and threat can have unforeseen consequences. Recent bills intended to reduce illegal immigration in U.S. states, such as Arizona's Senate Bill 1070 and Georgia's House Bill 87, have been framed by supporters as intended to reduce the economic costs of illegal immigration. Their consequences, however, have been increased economic hardship in the form of economic boycotts and lost farm production. We suggest that recognizing the mutual dependency between immigrants and members of host societies may be a first step in reducing support for harsh measures against illegal immigration, to the benefit of all.Economic factors play an important role in determining attitudes toward immigrants and immigration. Anecdotally, in times of economic hardship, one is particularly likely to hear the claim that immigrants take jobs and threaten the economic resources of members of host communities. Our research over the past decade has confirmed this relation between economic concerns and negative attitudes toward immigrants and immigration, using both correlational and experimental methods. Our correlational work has demonstrated that individuals who are especially likely to see immigrants as competing with members of the host society for jobs and material resources-in other words, individuals who are especially likely to see the relation between immigrants and nonimmigrants as zero-sum-are particularly likely to hold negative attitudes toward immigrants and immigration

It’s security, stupid! Voters’ perceptions of immigrants as a security risk predicted support for Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election

“…For example, as the GDP growth rate decreased and unemployment increased in the US state of Arizona, attitudes toward undocumented Mexican migrants became more negative (Diaz, Saenz, & Kwan, 2011). Individuals who perceive resources as a zero-sum game are more likely to hold negative attitudes toward immigrants (Esses, Brochu, & Dickson, 2012;Louis, Esses, & Lalonde, 2013). In experimental studies, when individuals are primed with economic competition they report more negative attitudes toward immigrants (Jackson & Esses, 2000).…”

Do we need them? When immigrant communities are perceived as indispensable to national identity or functioning of the host society

“…With globalization, these countries (e. g., Italy, Germany) are becoming increasingly diverse. This increased diversity poses several challenges to host societies, including how to successfully integrate culturally, linguistically, and religiously diverse migrants into the host society, and how to address questions about their rights to citizenship.Social psychological research shows variability in reactions to the increased flow of people from foreign cultures, depending upon, for example, a citizen's political ideology (Schwartz, Vignoles, Brown, & Zagefka, 2014), the perceived threat to the national identity (Louis, Esses, & Lalonde, 2013), and the degree of perceived competition for resources posed by immigrants (Esses, Brochu, & Dickson, 2012). Furthermore, research about the consequences of integrating immigrant communities has focused on either (i) the perspective of immigrants, such as how acculturation orientations relate to their psychological well-being (e.g., Celenk & van de Vijver, 2014), or (ii) the perspective of the host society, such as their perceptions of threat posed the increased flow of immigrants (e.g., Louis et al, 2013).…”

Percepções dos portugueses sobre os imigrantes: indispensabilidade, acção colectiva e distância social

“…A investigação sugere que as reacções às diferenças culturais dos imigrantes dependem, por exemplo, das ideologias políticas (Schwartz, Vignoles, Brown, & Zagefka, 2014), da ameaça à identidade nacional (Louis, Esses, & Lalonde, 2013) e da percepção de competição por recursos (Esses, Brochu, & Dickson, 2012). A maioria dos estudos acerca das consequências da integração de imigrantes tem-se centrado sobretudo ou na perspectiva dos grupos de imigrantes, analisando por exemplo o impacto da adopção de diferentes estratégias de aculturação (e.g., Celenk & van de Vijver, 2014), ou na perspectiva da sociedade de acolhimento, examinando, entre outros, o impacto do preconceito e das percepções de ameaça com a chegada de imigrantes (e.g., Louis et al, 2013).…”