Nationalism, Perceptions of Immigrant Threat, and Attitudes Towards Immigrants in Developed Countries

Abstract

The dissertation discusses the importance of perception of immigrant threat and nationalism on attitude toward immigrants. I argue that national identity has a significant direct effect on the perception of immigrant threat. Also, I suggest that national identity and perceived immigrant threat directly affect attitudes toward immigrants and immigration policies. Both national identity and perceptions of immigrant threat should positively affect unfavorable attitudes toward immigrants. Moreover, I contend there is an interaction effect between national identity and perceived immigrant threat on negative attitude toward immigrants. The effect of perceived immigrant threat on attitudes toward immigrants should be magnified by individuals’ national identity or nationalism. I explore these three main hypotheses using comprehensive broader datasets from cross-national datasets to datasets focused on specific countries.