Public Opinion on Immigration

The movement of people within states and across state borders has occurred for hundreds of years. Research examining how, when, and why domestic populations perceive of positive or negative impacts from the rise or fall of immigration is examined in the following sections. Within the literature on public opinion and immigration, various themes, immigrant groups, and domestic populations are examined; public opinion in receiving countries tends to be limited to North America, western Europe, and Australia. The first theme examines the impact of immigrant types—certain immigrants are viewed more favorably than others. The frames used by elites and the news media help to develop the notion of deservedness or usefulness of immigrant types. How often the immigration issue is in the news or in the political sphere, along with the tone of the coverage, heightens the salience and can influence public opinion on immigration. The second theme examines the role of economics at the personal, regional, or national levels. This research examines more than just personal or national economic context; it also examines additional underlying attitudes and beliefs about racial and ethnic groups, such as group threat and proximity to immigrant groups, that may be active or latent and influence public opinion on immigration. The third theme examines when and how public opinion on immigration influences other policy areas, such as individual preferences for further integration in the European Union (EU), or support for welfare and other redistributive programs sponsored by the state. The fourth theme is how and when public opinion on immigration changes—what explains periods of slow and steady support or opposition, versus periods of rapid or volatile changes to public opinion on immigration. There are a few recurring points of interest across the several broad themes outlined above: (1) perceptions of positive or negative impact of immigrants in the receiving country, (2) perceptions of the number of immigrants compared to domestic populations in receiving country, and (3) the current salience and context of the immigration issue in the receiving country.