Dynamics of the population's attitude towards immigrants: a regional aspect

Abstract

The article analyzes the dynamics of perception of the migration situation by the host population in the Republic of Mordovia. Public opinion is being monitored on potential problems created by immigrants when moving to the region, on their impact on ethno-confessional relations and the social and criminogenic situation. The empirical base included the results of annual regional sociological studies of the ethno-confessional and migration situation conducted in the period 2021–2023. The sociological survey was conducted in accordance with the Methodological Recommendations for Conducting Sociological Research in the subjects of the Russian Federation proposed by the Federal Agency for Nationalities of the Russian Federation (FADN of Russia). This methodology makes it possible to carry out sociological monitoring of key indicators of the state of ethno-confessional relations and migration processes in the Russian Federation. The volume of the sample population was n = 700 people, the representative features were gender, age, place of residence and nationality. As a tool for collecting primary information, a quantitative method was used — an individual face-to-face interview at the respondent's place of residence using a paper questionnaire (PAPI). It was revealed that in Mordovia, the attitude towards immigrants is gradually changing: the share of the population concerned about the problems of competition in the labor market, the deterioration of ethno-confessional relations, experiencing anxiety from the presence of migrant workers is decreasing. It is determined that the presence of immigrants in the region does not provoke an aggravation of ethnic conflicts and the idea of restricting/reducing the entry of migrants is becoming less popular. The author concludes that the attitude of the receiving population to immigrants is determined by the level of socio-economic development of the region.