Why Are Ethnically-Diverse Big City Neighborhoods so Pro-Immigration?

• In Event: The Political Geography of Immigration Attitudes and Populist Voting

Abstract

Ethnically-diverse big city neighborhoods are the most pro-immigration spaces in Europe and North America. However, while the distinctiveness of these ethnically-diverse big city neighborhoods is much discussed, there is still much to learn about what causes geographic clustering of preferences. I evaluate the two main possibilities - compositional effects and contextual effects - with panel data from Germany. I find strong evidence of demographic compositional effects as people with post-secondary degrees and professional occupations are positive about immigration wherever they live, but due to recent macro-economic trends are concentrated in big cities. There is also evidence that cultural sorting is another type of compositional effect, as people with pro-immigration attitudes select into ethnically-diverse big city neighborhoods. In contrast, I find limited evidence that living in ethnically-diverse contexts affects attitudes. These results have implications for our understanding of geographic divides, immigration attitudes and the prospects for national unity.

Author

• Rahsaan Maxwell, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill