Still divided but more open? Mapping European attitudes towards migration before and after the migration crisis
HTK B.1.15, SZI tárgyaló, 2019. május 9. 11 óra.
Előadók: Messing Vera és Ságvári Bence (MTA TK SZI)
Hozzászólók: Simonovits Bori (ELTE PPK) és Sik Endre (MTA TK)
Abstract: The study provides an analysis of the European Social Survey time series data on attitudes towards migration and explores cross-national differences in the perception and acceptance versus rejection of migration. The study builds on the ABC model of attitudes as well as the theory concerning locus of control. The study aims to discover factors that may lie behind the immense differences in the acceptance versus rejection of migrants across European countries. It explores the role of support for political parties, the link between populism and anti-migrant attitudes as well as the role of individual values. It found that in general, popular attitudes do not support the flourishing anti-migrant populist political discourse, and by the same token, increasingly loud anti-migrant populist narratives have not boosted the rejection of migrants. People on the continent have not become more fearful of migrants; on the contrary, in most countries they have become slightly more positive about them. Outliers include Portugal, Belgium, the UK and Ireland, where people have become significantly more open and positive about migrants compared to the pre-migration crisis period, and Hungary, where general attitudes towards migrants have significantly deteriorated. One of the main conclusions is that the dominant norms set by mainstream political and media discourse matter in terms of how much the perception of the consequences of migration is converted to behavioral expectations (rejection of migrants).