Turning opposition into support to immigration: The role of narratives

Cristina Cattaneo and Daniela Grieco

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2021, vol. 190, issue C, 785-801

Abstract: The way we collectively discuss migration shapes citizens perceptions of migrants and their influence on our society. This paper investigates whether a narrative about the positive impact of immigrants on the hosting economy affects natives’ behaviour towards migrants. To shed light on the underlying mechanism, we present a simple theoretical framework that models the relationship between beliefs, attitude and behaviour and identifies the sequential channels through which a narrative might be useful in changing behaviour. We test its predictions through an online survey experiment, where we deliver UK natives a favourable narrative about migrants. Treated subjects revise their beliefs about migrants and exhibit significantly more positive self-reported attitudes and more pro-migrant behaviour. Moreover, they update beliefs in a way that gives support to the existence of confirmation bias.

Keywords: Immigration; Survey experiment; Narrative; Attitudes; Beliefs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C90 D83 F22 J15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Working Paper: Turning Opposition into Support to Immigration: The Role of Narratives (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:190:y:2021:i:c:p:785-801

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2021.08.015

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