Can Non-Western University Education Cultivate Immigrant Integration? The Case of Local Enfranchisement for Foreign Residents in Japan

Abstract

While there is lively debate on whether higher education cultivates support for admitting foreigners into North America and Europe, there is little discussion on the extent to which this relationship generalizes beyond these continents. In light of Japan's growing reliance on foreign workers and the public’s divided opinion on integrating foreigners, we examine the relationship between university education and Japanese attitudes toward local enfranchisement for foreign residents. Using a large-scale online survey with corresponding ZIP codes, we isolate the causal effects of education independent of residential contexts. We further assess mechanisms underlying such effects through causal mediation analysis. Our findings show Japanese university education has limited effect on support for enfranchisement. Even though Japan is also a modern democracy with well-developed higher education institutions, these institutions do not lead to more supportive attitudes toward immigrant integration because they are neither vehicles for liberalization in ideology nor positive affect toward foreigners.