Does Exposure to the Refugee Crisis Make Natives More Hostile?

Although Europe has experienced unprecedented numbers of refugee arrivals in recent years, there exists almost no causal evidence regarding the impact of the refugee crisis on natives’ attitudes, policy preferences, and political engagement. We exploit a natural experiment in the Aegean Sea, where G...

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Published in:The American political science review Vol. 113; no. 2; pp. 442 - 455
Main Authors: HANGARTNER, DOMINIK, DINAS, ELIAS, MARBACH, MORITZ, MATAKOS, KONSTANTINOS, XEFTERIS, DIMITRIOS
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.05.2019
Subjects:
Attitudes
Behavioral Science Research
Behavioral Sciences
Calculus
College professors
Crises
Departments
Displaced persons
Economics
Government School Relationship
Hostility
Human subjects
Immigrants
Immigration
Immigration policy
Indigenous peoples
International relations
International Studies
Islands
Migration
Minority groups
Muslims
Noncitizens
Outcome Measures
Political asylum
Political attitudes
Political participation
Political science
Politics
Preferences
Refugee camps
Refugees
Residents
Social exclusion
Greece
Europe
Turkey
ISSN:0003-0554, 1537-5943
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Although Europe has experienced unprecedented numbers of refugee arrivals in recent years, there exists almost no causal evidence regarding the impact of the refugee crisis on natives’ attitudes, policy preferences, and political engagement. We exploit a natural experiment in the Aegean Sea, where Greek islands close to the Turkish coast experienced a sudden and massive increase in refugee arrivals, while similar islands slightly farther away did not. Leveraging a targeted survey of 2,070 island residents and distance to Turkey as an instrument, we find that direct exposure to refugee arrivals induces sizable and lasting increases in natives’ hostility toward refugees, immigrants, and Muslim minorities; support for restrictive asylum and immigration policies; and political engagement to effect such exclusionary policies. Since refugees only passed through these islands, our findings challenge both standard economic and cultural explanations of anti-immigrant sentiment and show that mere exposure suffices in generating lasting increases in hostility.
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ISSN:0003-0554
1537-5943
DOI:10.1017/S0003055418000813