Bitterness in life and attitudes towards immigration

Max Steinhardt () and Panu Poutvaara

VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy from Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association

Abstract: Immigration is a major challenge and opportunity for rich Western countries. Integration of immigrants is a two-way process, the success of which depends both on immigrants and on natives. We provide new evidence on the determinants of individual attitudes towards immigration, using data from the 2005 and 2010 waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel. In particular, we show that bitterness in life is strongly associated with worries about immigration. This effect cannot be explained just by concerns that immigrants are competing with oneself in the labor market. Instead, it appears that people who feel that they have not got what they deserve in life oppose immigration for spiteful reasons. As economic crises foster bitterness, they are likely to increase public opposition towards immigration, and by this harm integration of immigrants.

JEL-codes: D72 F22 J61 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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 (20)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Bitterness in life and attitudes towards immigration (2018)
Working Paper: Bitterness in life and attitudes towards immigration (2018)
Working Paper: Bitterness in Life and Attitudes Towards Immigration (2015)
Working Paper: Bitterness in Life and Attitudes towards Immigration (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:vfsc15:113094

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