Immigrant Opposition in a Changing National Demographic

Abstract

This article advances the argument that the effects of demographic change on individual-level immigration policy preferences is dependent on the level of segregation in the individuals’ local context. Increases in the immigrant population in highly segregated counties should increase opposition to immigration because opportunities for contact and exposure are missing and group differences are emphasized. Meanwhile, population increases in more integrated counties should lead to an alleviation of interethnic tensions due to more frequent opportunities for contact. Furthermore, whites may react differently to changes in racial/ethnic composition of a local context depending on the particular group moving into the area because some groups are closer to fulfilling Allport’s equal status contact condition than others. The empirical analysis finds strong support for the first assertion that population growth of Latina/os and Asian Americans in highly segregated areas results in support for restrictive immigration policy, while population growth in more integrated areas results in support for permissive immigration policy. The results are inconclusive for the second assertion as the effects of Asian American and Latina/o population growth are so highly dependent on segregation levels.

The Role of Short-Term and Longer Term Immigration Trends on Voting for Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe

“…Previous studies found that the presence of ethnic minorities in municipalities or districts is associated with anti-immigrant attitudes (e.g., Green et al, 2010; Wagner et al, 2006). This is consistent with other research showing that voting for PRRPs across Europe is predicted by an increase in the size of the immigrant population (e.g., Arora, 2019; Coffé et al, 2007; Halla et al, 2017; Patana, 2018). Although these findings have been supported mostly by electoral and municipal data, scholars have also found a positive association between immigration and PRRP support in multicountry comparative research on voting behavior (Arzheimer, 2009; Arzheimer & Carter, 2006; Kessler & Freeman, 2005; Lubbers et al, 2002).…”

“…We propose that after a recent increase in immigration (i.e., a short-term immigration trend), members of majority groups are more vulnerable to the PRRPs’ political agenda and will show greater endorsement of these parties. This will be in line with studies showing a positive association between immigration and support for PRRPs (e.g., Arora, 2019; Patana, 2018). However, the PRRPs’ focus on immigration should become less appealing, with time, once majority groups have adapted to these demographic changes and then PRRPs will lose support.…”

“…During the first decades of the 21st century, immigration increased in all European countries (Eurostat, 2019) and populist radical right parties (PRRPs), who highlight the topic of immigration (Norris, 2005), increased their influence in national parliaments (European Parliament, 2017). Scholarly work has shown, however, that the association between immigration and PRRP endorsement is not consistent, with some studies finding positive (e.g., Arora, 2019), but others finding negative (e.g., Biggs & Knauss, 2011) correlations. In the present study, we aim to reconcile conflicting results by proposing a time-focused perspective.…”

National Belonging and Public Support for Multiculturalism

“…Already, we see work focusing on Muslim accommodation (Blinder, Ford, and Ivarsflaten 2019; Collingwood, Lajevardi, and Oskooii 2018; Wright et al 2017). While we were unable to gauge support for Muslim accommodation specifically, we suspect distinguishing among potential beneficiaries of multiculturalism policies will vary our findings (cf., Arora 2019). Such concerns do not undermine the validity of our general, global analysis of multiculturalism, but do suggest that future work can provide more precision on additional variables of concern (e.g., ideological and ethnic identification) as well as increasing precision on the concept and costs of multiculturalism.…”

The impact of the international crisis on the entrepreneurial intentions of refugees

“…Refugees may have an impact on the local communities in which they live through their unique perspectives, past work experience, family networks and resilience. The effect of knowledge diffusion results from the migration process, and skilled immigrants can shape the economies of the host countries by introducing new products and skills locally and generating innovation and diversity in demand by customers (Arora, 2019; Bahar and Rapoport, 2018; Christensen et al , 2019; Shinnar and Zamantılı Nayır, 2019). Refugee entrepreneurship can provide favourable opportunities for educated individuals and their families, particularly in situations when accessing the labour market is difficult in the host country.…”