A socioeconomic perspective on attitudes towards immigrants and political affiliation in Europe

Resumen

Political parties on the far-right commonly hold very strong nationalist, anti-immigration views and this seems to be one of the main reasons why people vote for them. However, there is very little empirical research on the role that attitudes towards immigrants (ATIs) play in elections. This paper analyses how negative ATIs are associated with political affiliations using data from the European Social Survey (ESS) and the OECD. The determinants of ATIs and their association with political ideologies is analysed from a European perspective. Employment rates among the native populations have a significant association with the perception that immigration has a negative impact on the economy. The employment rates of immigrant have a negative association with the perception that immigrants take jobs away from local people. The perception that immigration is negative for the economies of the host countries is linked to right-wing political beliefs although this varies among countries with differing state welfare systems.