Public Opinion Toward Immigration in the European Union

Abstract

The literature on immigration has been divided with regard to the constraints, particularly of public opinion, on EU policy cooperation. Analysts have suggested that there is a disjuncture between public opinion and policy developments and that liberal immigration policies have emerged because negative public opinion is not factored into elite decision making or institutional developments. Comparing public opinion data derived from Eurobarometer surveys with demographic trends and EU initiatives, this article questions the "disjuncture" premises by evaluating the nature of mass attitudes and its impact on policy harmonization in the EU. In bridging the attitudinal-policy gap, the article assesses (a) the extent to which publics are ignorant or informed and (b) the distinct effects of personal versus general societal conditions as they motivate immigration attitudes and policy preferences. The conclusions have implications for immigration cooperation in the European Union, with policy outcomes that are more compatible with public attitudes.

Immigration, Integration, and Public Opinion in the European Union

“…Only one branch, the European Parliament, with relatively little power, is an elected body. De Vreese and Boomgaarden (2005) and Lahav (2004) argue that elites, who have controlled European Union integration under the Monet method, and the public disagree significantly on immigration issues. European citizens, by and large, did not have a say in or a role in the creation of an integrated Europe.…”

“…No common immigration policy exists among European Union states, although many suggest that this is necessary to secure borders (Zimmerman, 1995;Huntoon, 1998). Most nations have given the EU control over issues such as the environment, and at first wanted to give the EU control over immigration, but most nations feel their identity being threatened if they do http://scholarship.claremont.edu/urceu/vol2012/iss1/11 not have control over issues such as VAT (Value Added Tax) and immigration (Lahav, 2004).…”

“…But because of the structure of the EU, it has to negotiate the internal politics of deeper integration to solve these problems. As EU integration has evolved, elites, whose priorities have differed from those of citizens, have to a great extent controlled integration and immigration (de Vreese & Boomgaarden, 2005;Lahav, 2004;Philip, 1994). Nevertheless, the way in which public opinion shapes national and European level politics is very important because of the interplay between national and supranational policy making institutions.…”

“…Immigration (people coming from the outside) is ideologically inextricably related to European integration (people from outside ruling over the nation). Immigration, therefore, highlights the challenge faced by European Union integration in terms of the extent to which the EU can become truly one unit (Lahav, 2004;Hooghe & Marks, 2004). Using both literature and public opinion data, this paper will demonstrate that the factors (economic, cultural, historical, and political) that determine citizen's attitudes towards integration are similar to those that guide their decision on immigration.…”

Globalization Backlash? The Influence of Global Governance in Trade and Immigration

“…12 Research shows that voters' perceptions of labor migrants can be negative, even if native workers are employed. According to Gallya Lahav, ‗the fear of losing one's job in a declining national labor market (societal conditions) appears to be a much more important factor than personal unemployment itself' (Lahav 2004(Lahav : 1169.…”