A Comparative Analysis of Attitudes Toward Immigrants

Authors

  • Ugur Orak Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
  • Ozgur Solakoglu Sociology at Turkish Military Academy, Ankara, Turkey

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2016.05.13

Keywords:

Public attitudes, immigrants, policies, past experiences

Abstract

The current study examined attitudes toward immigrants in four countries including the United States, China, South Africa, and Turkey, differing from each other by their economic development levels and past immigration experiences. Although considerable attention has been paid to public attitudes toward immigrants, extant research have remained limited to economic and cultural factors as potential determinants of public attitudes, and they have failed to widen the scope of the issue. Thus, they have ignored the role of countries’ past immigration practices and effective immigration policies in shaping natives’ perceptions of immigrants. The current study has added some unique and valuable findings to the literature on attitudes toward immigrants by revealing the distinctive impacts of countries’ past immigration experiences and their immigration policies on natives’ perceptions of immigrants. By using data drawn from the 2015 Global @dvisor Survey, the current study also provided up-to-date research outcomes on the topic.

References

Becchetti, Leonardo, Fiammetta Rossetti, and Stefano Castriota. 2010. “Real Household Income and Attitude toward Immigrants: An Empirical Analysis.” The Journal of Socio-Economics 39(1):81–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2009.07.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2009.07.012

Cohen, Robin. 1997. Global Diasporas: An Introduction. London and New York, NY: Routledge. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203228920 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203228920

Diaz, Priscila, Delia S. Saenz, and Virginia S. Y. Kwan. 2011. “Economic Dynamics and Changes in Attitudes Toward Undocumented Mexican Immigrants in Arizona.” Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy 11(1):300–313. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-2415.2011.01255.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-2415.2011.01255.x

Esses, Victoria M., Paula M. Brochu, and Karen R. Dickson. 2012. “Economic Costs, Economic Benefits, and Attitudes Toward Immigrants and Immigration.” Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy 12(1):133–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-2415.2011.01269.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-2415.2011.01269.x

Facchini, Giovanni and Anna Maria Mayda. 2009. “Does the Welfare State Affect Individual Attitudes toward Immigrants? Evidence across Countries.” Review of Economics and Statistics 91(2):295–314. http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/rest.91.2.295 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/rest.91.2.295

Fan, Cindy C. 2008. China on the Move: Migration, the State, and the Household. London and New York, NY: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203937372

François, Abel and Raul Magni-Berton. 2013. “Individual Gendered Attitudes toward Immigrants. Empirical Evidence from French Surveys.” The Social Science Journal 50(3):321–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2013.02.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2013.02.004

Hainmueller, Jens and Daniel J. Hopkins. 2014. “Public Attitudes Toward Immigration.” Annual Review of Political Science 17(1):225–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-102512-194818 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-102512-194818

Hainmueller, Jens and M.J.Hiscox. 2010. "Attitudes towards Highly Skilled and Low Skilled Immigration." American Political Science Review 104(1):1-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0003055409990372 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055409990372

IOM (International Organization for Migration). 2015. “Migrants and Cities: New Partnership to Manage Mobility.” Retreived Nov. 21, 2015 (http://publications.iom.int/system/files/wmr2015 _en.pdf).

Kirisci, Kemal. 2000. “Disaggregating Turkish Citizenship and Immigration Practices.” Middle Eastern Studies 36(3):1-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00263200008701316 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00263200008701316

Murray, Kate E. and David M. Marx. 2013. “Attitudes toward Unauthorized Immigrants, Authorized Immigrants, and Refugees.” Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 19(3):332–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0030812 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030812

Paas, Tiiu and Vivika Halapuu. 2012. “Attitudes towards Immigrants and the Integration of Ethnically Diverse Societies.” Eastern Journal of European Studies 3(2):161–76.

Pardos-Prado, Sergi. 2011. “Framing Attitudes Towards Immigrants in Europe: When Competition Does Not Matter.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 37(7):999–1015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2011.572421 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2011.572421

Siddique, M. A. B. 2004. “South African Migration Policy: A Critical Review.” Economics Discussion / Working Papers 4(17).

Solakoglu, Ozgur and Suheyl Gurbuz. 2015. “Anti-Immigrant Attitudes in a Developing Country: Turkey.” Turkish Studies 10(10):771-792.

Tiiu, Paas and Olga Demidova. 2014. “How People Perceive Immigrants ’ Role in Their Country’s Life : A Comparative Study of Estonia and Russia.” Eastern Journal of European Studies 5(2):117–138.

Tolay, Juliette. 2014. “Deconstructing Turkish Public Attitudes towards Refugees: Empowering Rights over Politization and Self-Gratification.” USAK Yearbook of Politics and International Relations 6:1-29.

Ward, Colleen and Anne-Marie Masgoret. 2008. “Attitudes toward Immigrants, Immigration, and Multiculturalism in New Zealand: A Social Psychological Analysis.” International Migration Review 42(1):227–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2007.00119.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2007.00119.x

World Bank. 2015. “World Development Indicators.” Retrieved Nov. 25, 2015 (http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/ GDP.pdf).

Zolberg, Aristide R. 2006. A Nation by Design: Immigration Policy in the Fashioning of America. New York, NY: Sage Publication. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674045460

Downloads

Published

2016-07-01

How to Cite

Orak, U., & Solakoglu, O. (2016). A Comparative Analysis of Attitudes Toward Immigrants. International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 5, 143–153. https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2016.05.13

Issue

Section

Articles