Priming attitudes toward immigrants: Implications for migration research and survey design

Patrick Dylong, Paul Setzepfand and Silke Uebelmesser

European Journal of Political Economy, 2024, vol. 85, issue C

Abstract: Using data from two representative population surveys with more than 3000 participants, we examine the effect of randomized priming interventions on attitudes toward immigrants and preferences for immigration policy. We document robust null effects of these interventions in two experimental settings, across two surveys, and for a range of specifications. Our results suggest that (economic) attitudes toward immigrants may be less sensitive to priming than previous research suggests when priming intensity is moderate. We thus (i) provide evidence for settings in which intentional priming interventions are ineffective, and (ii) suggest a reference point for unintentional priming effects. We conclude that researchers should not be overly concerned about confounding priming effects when designing surveys to elicit attitudes toward immigration.

Keywords: Attitudes toward immigration; Priming; Experimental design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C83 C90 F22 J15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Working Paper: Priming Attitudes Towards Immigrants: Implications for Migration Research and Survey Design (2023)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:poleco:v:85:y:2024:i:c:s0176268024000569

DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2024.102554

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