Attitudes towards Immigration

Support for Immigration Policies

Europeans would accept more asylum-seekers under a system that more fairly shared responsibility across countries—even if it brought greater numbers into their own communities.

Publication: external page Europeans Support a Proportional Allocation of Asylum Seekers

Resources: Download Research Brief (PDF, 2.3 MB)

Media coverage: external page The Stanford Daily (English), external page The Guardian (English), external page Tagesanzeiger (German)

Attitudes towards Ethnic and Immigrant Minorities

European support for asylum seekers remained remarkably stable across the Syrian (2015–16) and Ukrainian (2022) refugee protection crises.

Publication: external page Europeans’ support for refugees of varying background is stable over time

Resources: Download Research Brief (PDF, 2.6 MB)

The European public prefers asylum-seekers who are employable, credible, have strong claims to refugee protection, and are non-Muslim.

Publication: external page How Economic, Humanitarian, and Religious Concerns Shape Europeans Attitudes toward Asylum Seekers

Media coverage: external page Bloomberg Business, external page Washington Post, external page Il Post (Italian), external page Die Presse (German), external page La Vanguardia (Spanish), external page Le Scienze (Italian), external page ABC Nyheter (Norwegian), external page FiveThirtyEight

The success of anti-immigration parties in Switzerland’s border regions is driven less by the negative consequences of migration itself than by the rhetoric of these parties.

Publication: external page The Free Movement of People and the Success of Far-Right Parties: Evidence from Switzerland’s Border Liberalization

Media Coverage: ETH News, external page Foreign Policy, external page NRC (Dutch), external page Swiss Radio & Television (German), external page Aargauer Zeitung (German), Keystone (external page French, external page Italian)

Country of origin determined naturalization success more than any other applicant characteristic, including language skills, integration status, and economic credentials.

Publication: external page Who Gets a Swiss Passport: A Natural Experiment in Immigrant Discrimination

Media Coverage: external page Chicago Tribune

In comparison to other immigrants, young men receive far less public support and are more likely to be seen as cultural and security threats.

Publication: external page Public Attitudes toward Young Immigrant Men