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Explaining Attitudes toward Immigrants in the United States: Context, Class and Ideology

Publication date: 21.11.2019

Migration Studies – Review of Polish Diaspora, 2019 (XLV), Vol. 3 (173), pp. 69 - 91

https://doi.org/10.4467/25444972SMPP.19.034.11076

Authors

,
Mary Patrice Erdmans
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
All publications →
Adrianna Smell
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
All publications →

Titles

Explaining Attitudes toward Immigrants in the United States: Context, Class and Ideology

Abstract

This paper explores the influence of social context, class, and ideology on attitudes toward immigrants in the US. Using the conceptual frames of heterophobia and resource competition, we hypothesize that between 1996 and 2014 attitudes toward immigrants would become increasingly negative because of changes in the social context, in particular the growth in the number and diversity of immigrants. We also hypothesize that people in more precarious labor market positions, without a college education, and with a conservative religious ideology will have more negative attitudes toward immigrants. Using the General Social Survey at three points in time (1996, 2004, and 2014), we find mixed support for our hypotheses. Attitudes toward immigrants became more positive in the overall sample, but more negative for religious fundamentalists. Religious ideology and education were better predictors of attitudes toward immigrants than employment status and self-identified class. In general, the data show more support for the heterophobia explanation for negative attitudes than the resource competition explanation.

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Information

Information: Migration Studies – Review of Polish Diaspora, 2019 (XLV), Vol. 3 (173), pp. 69 - 91

Article type: Original article

Titles:

Polish:

Explaining Attitudes toward Immigrants in the United States: Context, Class and Ideology

English:

Explaining Attitudes toward Immigrants in the United States: Context, Class and Ideology

Authors

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

Published at: 21.11.2019

Article status: Open

Licence: CC BY-NC-ND  licence icon

Percentage share of authors:

Mary Patrice Erdmans (Author) - 50%
Adrianna Smell (Author) - 50%

Article corrections:

-

Publication languages:

English