Full open-access paper with Jérôme Gonnot, @heidland.bsky.social & Finja Krüger. Would be curious what others make of the contribution vs. policy split. Is it a measurement artefact or does it reflect genuinely distinct attitude objects?
One finding I find interesting: the predictors differ across attitude dimensions. Economic variables (income, occupation, urban context, minority background) weakly predict attitudes toward immigrants' contribution but not support for open immigration policies. Only education and age do that.
Sharing our meta-analysis on predictors of immigration attitudes — now the most cited article in JEMS. We synthesised 1,185 estimates from 110 studies across 5 disciplines.
Open access 👉 Which individual-level factors explain public attitudes toward immigration? www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... 🧵
What stands out is the size of the 'middle' category. In several countries, a substantial share of respondents score exactly 5 — they haven't firmly landed on either side. Those people, sometimes referred to as the "moveable middle", might not be as moveable as we'd like to think. More on that soon!
There does not seem to be a simple East-West divide anymore — sure, in Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, large majorities hold positive views and in Slovakia and Hungary, the pattern is nearly reversed. But for example, Poland is closer to the more positive side, and Germany is in the middle.
Is there still an East-West divide in immigration attitudes in Europe?
The figure below shows how respondents in European countries rated immigration as either good or bad for their country in 2023-2024. Figure from an upcoming book chapter. Data: European Social Survey, round 11.
Two observations 👇
Education only enters the picture for economically vulnerable natives — and only when immigrants are both non-European and low-educated.
Skills-based narratives don’t fully capture how attitudes form. Are Natives Collar-Blind? Migration Flows and Attitudes Toward Immigration.
Much of the debate assumes opposition to immigration is about skills. Our new paper finds that, in practice, origin matters far more than education in shaping short-term public reactions to immigration in Western Europe.
academic.oup.com/ijpor/articl...
Other findings include:
➡️ High acceptance of biometric border checks overall
➡️ Differences between target groups are surprisingly small
➡️ The strongest predictor of fairness? Opposition to government biometrics in general
📣 My new working paper is out!
I tested how people in 5 countries judge the fairness of biometric + automated border checks.
If you care about migration or algorithmic governance, this one is for you 👉 cadmus.eui.eu/server/api/c...
The big takeaway: people don’t find automation inherently fairer
Yesterday was my last day as a Research Fellow at the @mpc-eui.bsky.social @eui-eu.bsky.social. After nearly eight years, I am grateful for the brilliant colleagues, projects, and conversations that have shaped my work on attitudes towards migration, fairness, and democracy. On to new beginnings! ✨
Excited to be speaking at Collegio Carlo Alberto this Thursday, Sept 25! If in Turin, please join us!
I’ll talk about the origins of attitudes toward immigration — how early-life experiences, political climate, and education shape views across generations.
www.carloalberto.org/event/lenka-...
Grateful for the opportunity to present my ongoing work on public fairness perceptions on the use of biometrics and automated decision-making in border control at @hertiecfr.bsky.social this morning. I believe it is especially timely vis-à-vis the EES being rolled out next month
Voted in the Czech elections by post for the first time. A long-awaited reform, but also one wrapped in debates over procedure, access and trust 👉 www.e15.cz/volby/koresp...
My department at Leuphana University offers 6 fully funded PhD scholarships (incl. research funding) for three years.
If you are interested in studying democratic resilience (particularly party competition and elections 🤓) and you have a strong methodolgical background: Apply!
shorturl.at/kcTbG
Our #Sociology department is looking for an #AssistantProfessor in the field of Social Inequality (with the possibility for a permanent contract).
www.academictransfer.com/en/jobs/3546...
@sociologytiu.bsky.social @tilburg-university.bsky.social @academic-chatter.bsky.social #academicjobs
Very interesting read on academic publishing from the editor’s perspective 👇
Pleased to be quoted as an expert in a new Deutsche Welle article 👉 p.dw.com/p/4zOHD
It looks at how migration debates have shaped politics & public opinion across Europe over the past decade.
📢 Does higher #education make people more pro-immigration? Not always.
New MIDEM paper by @lenkadrazanova.bsky.social dives into 20 years of ESS data — and challenges common assumptions.
Read her study: forum-midem.de/more-educate...
@stiftungmercator.bsky.social @tudresden.bsky.social
I am very much looking forward to give this talk next week in Dresden. Please join us either in person or online! 👇
Presented at a closed roundtable hosted by OHCHR in Geneva yesterday, discussing fairness concerns around new technologies in Europe. Grateful to contribute to a timely and much needed conversation at the intersection of human rights, tech and migration governance #AFARproject @volkswagenstiftung.de
Using 9 rounds of ESS data from 20 countries, we show:
🔎 Migrants tend to be more pro-immigration
💡 But not always! Their attitudes shift with time, context, & experiences like discrimination
📉 Longer-residing migrants often grow more negative
📣 New article out! With @sedovicmicha.bsky.social we look at not just how the majority thinks about immigration, but also what (first and second generation) migrants' attitudes are
Full piece in European Journal of Population:
👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#migration #socialcohesion #europe
JUST PUBLISHED 🔍 Do #migrants in Europe view immigration with solidarity or as a threat?
Immigrants tend to have more positive views than non-migrants, but first-gen immigrants grow more negative the longer they stay.
Read the full study:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Very happy to have contributed to a chapter on public attitudes to migration in this new EC's report on migration narratives and how to effectively communicate about migration 👉 europa.eu/!KfKvQq
What shapes public views on asylum fairness?
A new in 🇩🇪 & 🇮🇹 study points to moral values:
🤝Those who value care & equality focus on fair treatment of asylum seekers
🏛️Those valuing loyalty & authority prioritise protecting the perceived interests of the host country
📌 cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/...
🧪 Based on a conjoint experiment in Germany + Italy 🇩🇪🇮🇹
💡 Key takeaway: some respondents have to reconcile competing moral values when judging what’s fair in asylum decision-making. Addressing moral dilemmas may help build broader support.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
📣 New working paper just out with Martin Ruhs! 🆕
How do moral values shape what people see as fair in asylum decisions?
Spoiler: people’s moral values predict whether they focus more on fairness towards asylum seekers or towards the host country
🔗 hdl.handle.net/1814/78296
Please join us either in person or online at this exciting Workshop we are co-organizing with colleagues from MIDEM @maikherold.bsky.social @olivieroangeli.bsky.social & others addressing key migration questions 👇
These are examples of what we call "migration communication campaigns".
In our new article (with @jamesrdennison.bsky.social and @mcarmoduarte.bsky.social), we present a database to explore how diverse campaigns shape our perceptions of migration.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....