Learning the Hard Way: Anti-Immigrant Sentiment and the Educational Experiences of Immigrant Youth in Europe

• In Event: 34.096 - MTCC Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 34.096-7 - Beliefs and Social Contexts

Abstract

In recent years, anti-immigrant sentiment has increased dramatically in Europe. While the factors that led to this increase have been studied extensively, less is known about the effects of anti-immigrant sentiment, including its potential influence on the academic outcomes of immigrant students. I examine these effects in this manuscript. I find that increased anti-immigrant sentiment is associated with decreased immigrants’ academic achievement and expectations to attain a college degree in a set of European countries. I also find that the decrease in achievement and educational expectations is steeper for first- than for second-generation immigrants. I theorize that this is because first-generation immigrants are targeted more often by anti-immigrant sentiment since they are more linguistically and culturally diverse than second-generation immigrants.

Author

• Volha Chykina, University of Michigan