How attitudes towards immigrants are shaped by residential context: The role of ethnic diversity dynamics and immigrant visibility

Abstract

We examine how proportional changes in residential context are associated with changes in attitudes towards immigrants. We specifically examine ethnic diversity dynamics and immigrant visibility at the level of the neighbourhood. Following the 'defended neighbourhood' hypothesis, we focus on proportional change, not absolute numbers. Data from the Dutch LISS panel are analysed using fixed-effect models, measuring the composition of neighbourhoods at the level of four-digit postcodes. Our findings show that a larger change in the proportion of immigrant residents is associated with more positive views on immigrants among natives. It is particularly a change in the proportion of visible non-Western immigrants that appears to be relevant for changes in attitudes. Contrary to theoretic expectations, we find little evidence for 'defended neighbourhoods' in the Netherlands in the years under consideration. How attitudes towards immigrants are shaped by residential context: The role of ethnic diversity dynamics and immigrant visibility.

Cosmopolitan Immigration Attitudes in Large European Cities: Contextual or Compositional Effects?

“…As a result, urban residents should be more likely than residents of other geographic areas to be exposed to immigrants on a regular basis. There is a longstanding debate about whether exposure to different groups promotes tolerance or threat, depending on the nature of the exposure (Allport 1954; van Heerden and Ruedin 2019; Kaufmann and Harris 2015). Some evidence suggests that exposure to different groups via competition over scarce resources (Dancygier 2010; Quillian 1995), rapidly changing population demographics (Hopkins 2010; Kaufmann 2017), or in dense and segregated environments (Enos 2017) may promote a sense of threat and negative attitudes.…”

“…Another possibility is that attitudes are more positive in big city neighborhoods with fewer German residents because of the contextual effect of population change over time. Research from the Netherlands suggests that immigration attitudes become more positive among natives when the immigrant population grows at the neighborhood level, and especially when the immigrants are from non-Western countries (van Heerden and Ruedin 2019). Moreover, in the SOEP, big city neighborhoods with the lowest quartile of German residents experience the greatest reduction over time in the German population and the greatest increase over time in the non-Western population.…”

“…Recent research highlights very specific circumstances under which geographic contexts can change attitudes (Harrison and Michelson 2017; Laurence and Bentley 2018; Mo and Conn 2018). For immigration attitudes, van Heerden and Ruedin (2019) find that as the percentage of immigrants in the neighborhood increases over time, there are more positive attitudes about immigrants in the Netherlands. In addition, Lancee and Schaeffer (2015) find that moving to neighborhoods with greater ethnic heterogeneity causes more negative immigration attitudes in Germany.…”

Contextual factors and prejudice at the beginning of the migrant influx: The Moroccan case in Seville, Spain

“…Thus, a wealth of academic literature reveals a positive relationship between out-group size and manifestations of prejudice (e.g., Blalock, 1957;Coenders, 2001;Gorodzeisky & Semyonov, 2015;Quillian, 1995Quillian, , 1996Scheepers, Gijsbert, & Coenders, 2002;Semyonov, Raijman, & Gorodzeisky, 2006), whereas other literature finds no such evidence (e.g., Coenders, Lubbers, & Scheepers, 2005;Hjerm, 2007Hjerm, , 2009McLaren, 2003;Semyonov et al, 2004) and even identifies a negative relationship (e.g., Lubbers, Coenders, & Scheepers, 2006). This controversial discussion can be tackled if we take into account aspects such as the scale of the scope of study (Kaufmann & Harris, 2015;Pottie-Sherman & Wilkes, 2017;Rodon & Franco-Guillén, 2014;van Heerden & Ruedin, 2017), the opportunities that the receiving society offers for meaningful interethnic contact (Dinesen & Sønderskov, 2015), and other contextual variables to help interpret the results obtained.…”

What are Europeans’ views on migrant integration?

“…Eger and Bohman (2016[38]); Hobolt and de Vries (2016[65]); Hobolt and Tilley (2016[66]); Van Hauwaert and Van Kessel (2018[67]); Stockemer, Lentz, and Mayer (2018[68]). 23 We define a categorical variable containing five groups: individuals positioning themselves as farleft, centre-left, centre, centre-right and far-right 24.…”