Economic Vulnerability and Anti‐Immigrant Attitudes: Isolated Anomaly or Emerging Trend

Flavio Hickel and Melissa Bredbenner

Social Science Quarterly, 2020, vol. 101, issue 4, 1345-1358

Abstract: Objective Donald Trump's sustained emphasis on the negative impact of immigration policies for personal economic conditions necessitates reevaluating the influence of the latter on the former. We assess the interaction between income and individual economic anxiety on immigration attitudes. Methods Multivariate analysis of the 2012 and 2016 American National Election Study survey data. Results After controlling for conventional explanations and standard political covariates, those who share an income bracket with foreign‐born workers and also expressed individual economic anxiety were significantly more likely to express negative attitudes toward immigrants in 2016, but not in 2012. Conclusion The discrepancy between the results in 2016 and 2012 is partially attributed to the different rhetorical approaches toward immigration policy adopted by Donald Trump and Mitt Romney. Whether the 2016 results represent an isolated anomaly or emerging trend may depend on the rhetorical choices of future presidential candidates.

Date: 2020
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https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12814

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