How Russian and Ukrainian citizens perceive the role of immigrants in their country: a comparison with European residents

Abstract

What are the attitudes of people in Russia and Ukraine about their coexistence with immigrants? Are they similar to the attitudes of people in European countries? This study compares possible determinants of attitudes towards immigrants in the European Union, Russia and Ukraine. The comparative analysis revealed both similarities and differences in public attitudes towards immigrants in Russia and Ukraine and in European countries. In particular, in Russia, Ukraine and Europe, the public perception of immigrants improves as the educational level of respondents increases. At the same time, more religious citizens in Russia, Ukraine and new European countries (joined the EU after 2004) perceive the cultural impact of immigrants to be greater, whereas those in old European countries (joined the EU before 2004) exhibit the opposite tendency. So, Russia and Ukraine should use the European countries experience in this area cautiously.