1. Social mobility and attitudes towards immigration: a study of micro and macro mechanisms.
- Author
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Paskov, Marii, Präg, Patrick, and Richards, Lindsay
- Subjects
INTERGENERATIONAL mobility ,SOCIAL mobility ,SOCIAL attitudes ,SOCIAL surveys ,EMIGRATION & immigration ,ECONOMIC competition - Abstract
This paper explores both the micro and macro effects of intergenerational social mobility on individual preferences for immigration. A recent backlash against immigration has triggered a debate on whether those for whom status achievements lag behind expectations (i.e, the downwardly mobile) might be particularly intolerant towards migrants due to heightened feelings of subjective deprivation, economic competition and frustration. A related narrative is that opportunity structures might also matter for attitude formation. A context of high upward mobility expands opportunities for all and as such might promote more positive attitudes towards immigration. By contrast, in a context of high downward mobility opportunities for moving higher are limited and hence perceived deprivation, competition, and frustration might lead to more hostility towards immigrants, especially among the lower classes. We make use of the European Social Survey data (2002-2010) to shed light on these questions. We apply diagonal reference models (DRMs) that allow the effects of the mobility trajectory to be disentangled from origin class and destination class. Our results show that people that are in the working class and those that originate from a working class family backgrounds are less supportive of immigration. However, there is little evidence that intergenerational social mobility experience, at least in class terms, would have a particular influence on attitudes towards migration. Furthermore, we find little evidence in line with the narrative that blocked opportunities (i.e, low relative mobility rate) or downward mobility on a societal level are at the heart of attitudes towards immigration. We discuss potential alternative explanations, implications for theories of attitudes towards immigration and theories of social class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019