“Who needs and deserves it the most”: Effects of immigrant narratives on giving-behavior

• In Event: 2166 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 14: Migration, Race & Economics

Abstract

Little is known about the direct effects of immigrant narratives on intergroup relations or on social groups not explicitly targeted. Thus, the methodological and empirical innovations of the current paper fill these gaps in three key ways. First, I add to the literature methodologically by employing a behavioral game—an underutilized tool in sociology—to provide insight into how immigrant narratives influence intergroup relations. Second, I examine the effects of immigrant narratives on social groups not explicitly mentioned in the narratives. Third, I contribute to the literature by interrogating the effects of pro- and anti-immigrant narratives. The present study pursues the following question: how do immigrant narratives effect intergroup relations? More specifically, how do immigrant narratives effect giving-behaviors among whites towards Latinos and blacks? The data in the present study come from an original experiment with nearly 1000 non-Hispanic, US-born white adults residing in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Results reveal both anti- and pro-immigrant narratives effect giving-behavior along partisan lines. The findings in this paper shed light on how narratives influence perceptions of group membership and deservingness. Thus, the implications of the findings are that political discourse about immigrants can influence social interactions, socioeconomic stratification, and the ethno-racial hierarchy.

Author

• Victoria Shantrell Asbury, Harvard University