Economics, Racism, and Attitudes toward Immigration in the New Germany

Abstract

A number of different theories have been advanced to explain support for policies which may benefit minority groups. This paper utilizes eco nomic-self interest, traditional racism, and conservative values to explore attitudes of German citizens toward granting political asylum and resi dency to immigrants. The linear structural relations (LISREL) analysis on a 1991 sample of German citizens suggests that the structure of attitudes is different depending upon which section of Germany (the West or the former German Democratic Republic [GDR]) is considered. East Germans tend to "fuse" traditional racism with conservative values to express a racism argued by "symbolic" theorists while the West Germans tend to separate the concepts, possibly because of the more mature democratic development of West German parties and institutions. In explaining im migration policy, traditional racism tends to dominate the West German model, while economic self-interest partially explains policy attitudes in the former GDR. Still, even in the East, ethnocentrism is a very strong factor in understanding support for restrictive immigration policies. We discuss the implications of the analysis in terms of the literature on Ameri can racism and policy reasoning.