Public Opinion on Immigration in Europe: Preference versus Salience

Timothy Hatton

No 12084, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: There is growing interest among economists in public opinion towards immigration, something that is often seen as the foundation for restrictive immigration policies. Existing studies have focused on the responses to survey questions on whether the individual would prefer more or less immigration but not on his or her assessment of its importance as a policy issue. Here I distinguish between preference and salience. Analysis of data from the European Social Survey and Eurobarometer indicates that these are associated with different individual-level characteristics. At the national level these two dimensions of public opinion move differently over time and in response to different macro-level variables. The results suggest that both dimensions need to be taken into account when assessing the overall climate of public opinion towards immigration. Finally, there is some evidence that both preference and salience are important influences on immigration policy.

Keywords: Public opinion; Salience; Attitudes to immigration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 F22 J61 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-mig and nep-pol
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (29)

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Working Paper: Public Opinion on Immigration in Europe: Preference versus Salience (2017)
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