Is institutional trust related to pro-immigrant attitudes? A pan-European evidence

Abstract

This paper examines the factors that are related to attitudes toward immigrants in Europe, with a particular focus on the role of institutional trust in shaping these attitudes. We go one step further compated to previous studies by investigating separately two different groups of people -members of the ethnic majority and ethnic minority populations in European countries. We use data from the European Social Survey fifth round database for 25 countries. The results of the paper show that trust in institutions is the variable that is most strongly associated with the attitudes toward immigrants itnplying on the importance of fair and supportive operation of political institutions to move toward more immigrant-tolerant environment and become an attractive destination country in the global competition of talents. The findings also indicate that not all of the main determinants of the attitudes toward immigrants drawn from the most common theoretical explanations seem to explain the variation of the attitudes toward immigrants among ethnic minority populations the same way as they explain it in the case of ethnic majority populations.

The three facets of national identity: Identity dynamics and attitudes toward immigrants in Russia

“…Perceived threat is one of the key factors that links in-group favoritism to hostility toward out-groups (Brewer, 1999; Riek et al, 2006). Pride in the political institutions of the country indicates a certain level of trust in these institutions, which in turn is related to more positive attitudes toward immigrants (Halapuu et al, 2013). Political pride is also likely to contribute to a belief in a strong state that is able to protect its citizens, which can as well reduce perceptions of possible threats from the outsiders.…”

Does Education Affect Attitudes towards Immigration?

“…In a cross-country analysis of 19 European countries, the authors find that higher levels of social trust are associated with positive attitudes towards immigration. Economidou et al (2017) and Halapuu et al (2013) also confirm that across Europe individuals with high social capital exhibit a more positive attitude toward immigration.…”

Trauma and Trust: How War Exposure Shapes Social and Institutional Trust Among Refugees

“…Generalized social trust is commonly defined as a general willingness to trust strangers, i.e., people we do not have any information about (Uslaner, 2002;Bahry et al, 2005). Institutional trust, on the other hand, rests upon people's perceptions of how well the social and organizational environment in a society operates (e.g., Miller, 1974;Williamson, 1993;Halapuu et al, 2013). Institutional trust can help to overcome the problems of collective action (Fukuyama, 1995;Putnam, 2000), and it has been shown that institutional trust helps improve native people's attitudes toward immigrants and minorities (Espenshade and Hempstead, 1996;Husfeldt, 2006;Halapuu et al, 2013).…”

“…Institutional trust, on the other hand, rests upon people’s perceptions of how well the social and organizational environment in a society operates (e.g., Miller, 1974 ; Williamson, 1993 ; Halapuu et al, 2013 ). Institutional trust can help to overcome the problems of collective action ( Fukuyama, 1995 ; Putnam, 2000 ), and it has been shown that institutional trust helps improve native people’s attitudes toward immigrants and minorities ( Espenshade and Hempstead, 1996 ; Husfeldt, 2006 ; Halapuu et al, 2013 ). Likewise, institutional trust could also shape immigrants’ willingness to cooperate with people and organizations in the host country, which could have an impact on their propensity to participate in social interactions and the labor market.…”