Understanding Support for Immigration in Western Europe

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

Public preferences for immigration have become a huge political issue in Europe (and around the world) in recent years. In part, this is because populist anti-immigration politicians have mobilized opposition to immigration as a potent electoral force. Researchers have studied numerous aspects of anti-immigration politics, but have paid much less attention to the prospects for mobilizing immigration support. In this panel, we correct that oversight with a series of papers that probe the possibilities for immigration support.

In the first paper, Ford, Ivarsflaten and Blinder tackle the timely issue of healthcare provision during the Covid crisis, and explore the conditions under which UK residents are willing to extend healthcare solidarity to migrants and minorities. In the second paper, Helbling, Jaeger, Maxwell and Traunmueller explore the extent to which Germans who lean pro and anti-immigration are actually committed to those general preferences. They find that general preferences do not always map onto strongly-held commitments, in part because of differences in ideological extremity.

Kustov takes a broad look at support for immigration, using cross-sectional secondary data and original surveys in Canada, the UK and Sweden. He highlights a series of immigration policy proposals that have the potential to increase support for immigration. Finally, Rosenberg and Alarian present data from original surveys in the UK, exploring ways in which national identity appeals can promote support for immigration.

To bring more voices into the conversation, we have arranged two stellar discussants – Charlotte Cavaille and Gloria Gennaro – who are both experts in this field and will help the authors (and the audience) understand the best paths forward for broader research agendas.

In short, immigration attitudes are a big political issue across Europe and this panel helps push our knowledge forward. We build on previous work about anti-immigration preferences and explore the possibilities for developing support for immigration in ways that can potentially build consensus in divided European societies.

Sub Unit

• Division 15: European Politics and Society

Cosponsor

• Division 52: Migration & Citizenship

Individual Presentations

• Social Solidarity, Welfare Chauvinism and Healthcare: Migrants in the UK - Robert Ford, University of Manchester; Scott Blinder, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Elisabeth Ivarsflaten, University of Bergen

• Who Is More Committed to Their Immigration Preferences? Evidence from Germany - Marc Helbling, University of Mannheim; Felix Jäger, University of Konstanz; Rahsaan Maxwell, New York University; Richard Traunmuller, University of Mannheim

• Durable Persuasion by Responsible Policymaking: Public Support for Immigration - Alexander Kustov, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• National Pride and Prejudice: Identity and Immigration Attitudes in the UK - Andrew S Rosenberg, University of Florida; Hannah Marie Alarian, University of Florida

Chair

• Rahsaan Maxwell New York University

Discussants

• Charlotte Cavaille For School of Public Policy

• Gloria Gennaro UCL