The Reception of Immigrants and Refugees in Western Countries: The Challenges of Our Time

Abstract

AbstractIn a rapidly changing world, the challenges of migration, as well as its potential benefits, are hotly debated. Recent years have seen new challenges as a result of unprecedented levels of migration, instability following the Global Financial Crisis, economic and security concerns surrounding immigration, and negative portrayals of immigrants by some Western leaders. These developments make it all the more important to understand the psychological processes underpinning attitudes toward immigrants and refugees, support for particular immigration policies and responses to changing policies, the role of portrayals of immigrants in the media, and the consequences of immigration attitudes and policies. This special issue brings together researchers interested in the topic of immigration from a psychological perspective, with a focus on understanding the reception of immigrants and refugees in Western countries. In this introductory article, we outline the background to this special issue and briefly describe each article included.