Does urbanization matter? Diverging attitudes toward migrants and Europe's decision-making

Abstract

Prevailing attitudes toward migration describe citizens' preferences towards non-native inhabitants and fulfill a key role in socio-economics as antecedents of citizens’ behaviors. According to literature, the fear (or lack of fear) of labor-market competition between natives and migrants may shape attitudes, especially those of low-skilled workers. In this comprehensive framework, we contribute to the literature by looking into a new aspect that shapes attitudes toward migration: urbanization. Employing data from round 1 to round 9 of the European Social Survey covering the time span 2002–2018, this paper analyzes the trend of attitudes toward migration, focusing on the effects of urbanization as a direct determinant of attitudes toward migration as a moderator of education. Urbanization typically affects attitudes toward migrants both directly and indirectly, interacting with individuals' education, which is used to distinguish high-skilled and low-skilled workers. Results support the hypothesis that people living in the rural areas display more negative attitudes toward migration, and this effect is more substantial for low-skilled workers.