Perceptions of Immigrants as a Criminal Threat: The Role of Negative Affect and Ethnocentrism

Abstract

A popular political narrative in the United States depicts immigrants as posing a criminal threat to the nation. This perception persists despite research showing that immigrants do not increase crime rates and may actually contribute to lower crime rates. This study seeks to examine the sources of the perception that immigrants increase crime in the United States. Drawing from research in cognitive psychology, this paper examines the affect heuristic and ethnocentrism as cognitive mechanisms through which personal feelings towards particular ethnic and religious groups shape the perception that immigrants pose a criminal threat. Using data from a nationally representative election study, findings reveal that negative feelings towards illegal immigrants, Hispanics, and Muslims are associated with the perception that immigrants increase crime rates in the U.S. Among white respondents, ethnocentrism is also associated with the perception that immigrants pose a criminal threat, even when controlling for feelings towards Hispanics and Muslims specifically. Implications for theory and research are discussed.