Perceptions Of Immigrants Research Articles

Perceptions of Russian-Speaking Immigrants: A Case Study in Australia

This research was conducted in response to one of the most pressing and challenging questions on the agenda of many government offices around the world - “What can be done to better integrate and assimilate immigrants into host communities?” The qualitative study employed ethnographic methods of gathering data, where 170 Russian-speaking immigrants were observed by the insider in their natural settings, for eight months, and at different locations in Brisbane region of Australia; informal, unstructured interviews were conducted with 27 individuals. During observations, it was noticed that many immigrants had experienced one or another sort of difficulties that prevent them from smooth integration into the host society. The further analysis of data derived from immigrants narratives revealed emerging themes, which allowed identifying five factors that, perceived by immigrants as obstacles to integration: (1) employment, (2) education, (3) healthcare, (4) government assistance, and (5) discrimination. Following the logic of inductive reasoning and assumptions of grounded theory, that is seen as a research method in which the theory is developed from the data, the researcher uses research findings to build behavioral Model of Assimilation/ Integration of immigrants. Developed model not only accurately explains why immigrants resist integration but also offers the pathway to further quantification for the measurement of assimilation.

Media Exposure to Terrorism and Perception of Immigrants as a Threat: The Role of Emotional Intelligence and Psychophysiological Self-Regulation.

To better understand how media exposure to terrorism-related images can lead to perceiving immigrants as more threatening, in the present study we manipulated participants' exposure to media coverage of terrorist attacks and investigated how this may influence people's perception of Arab immigrants. Considering the important role of regulatory abilities when facing stressful events like terrorist attacks, we measured individual differences in both trait emotional intelligence and resting heart rate variability (HRV). Results showed that participants perceived Arab immigrants as more threatening in the media exposure condition than in the control condition. Importantly, there were moderating effects of both trait emotional intelligence and HRV. People with lower trait emotional intelligence or lower HRV at rest felt more threatened in the media exposure condition compared to the control condition, whereas this effect was not observed among participants with higher trait emotional intelligence or higher resting HRV. The present study highlights some of the complexities related to how media exposure to terrorism-related images influences people's reactions to, and evaluations of, an outgroup that is related to the perpetrators of the attacks.

The battle for the public perception: how increases in asylum seekers and media framing affected the perception of the refugee crisis and support for additional measures across the left-right spectrum

ABSTRACT The sudden increase in immigrants crossing the EU external borders in 2015 kicked off a political debate about the causes, consequences, and solutions to the following refugee crisis. The public perception of immigration being a significant issue increased accordingly throughout the member states, even though some countries were only slightly affected. The study draws on a unique dataset of ten waves of Eurobarometer surveys, combined with newspaper content from 2012–2017 and asylum seekers across eight EU member states. The results document that media agenda and framing not only played a significant role in constructing the public perception of the immigration issue but also, and more fundamentally, the attitude towards whether the issue should be solved at the national or EU level. Finally, the study highlights the importance of digging beyond general trends, as significant differences in the effects are found across the left-right spectrum and member states.

Discursive shifts and the normalisation of racism: imaginaries of immigration, moral panics and the discourse of contemporary right-wing populism

ABSTRACT Looking at mediated, political and wider public discourses on immigration in Poland since 2015 and exploring these in the context of the country’s right-wing populist politics, the paper develops a multi-step normalisation model which allows analysing how radical or often blatantly racist discourse can not only be strategically introduced into the public domain but also evolve into an acceptable and legitimate perspective in perceptions of immigrants and refugees. The paper highlights the strategic as well as opportunistic introduction of anti-immigration rhetoric in/by the political mainstream in Poland in recent years, often on the back of the so-called post-2014 European “Refugee Crisis”. It explores normalisation as part and parcel of a wider multistep process of strategically orchestrated discursive shifts wherein discourses characterised by extreme positions have been enacted, gradated/perpetuated and eventually normalised as an integral part of pronounced right-wing populist agenda. The paperfurthers a view that normalisation entails the creation and sustainment of a peculiar borderline discourse wherein unmitigated radical statements are often married with seemingly civil and apparently politically correct language and argumentation. The latter are used to pre-/legitimise uncivil or even outright radical positions and ideologies by rationalising them and making them into acceptable elements of public discourse.

Diversity and Perceptions of Immigration: How the Past Influences the Present

The question of whether high immigration produces anti-immigration hostility has vexed researchers across multiple disciplines for decades. And yet, understanding this relationship is crucial for countries dependant on immigrant labour but concerned about its impact on social cohesion. Absent from most of this research are theories about the impact of early-years socialisation conditions on contemporary attitudes. Using the British sample of the European Social Survey (2002–2017) and two innovative approaches to modelling generational differences – generalised additive models and hierarchical age‒period‒cohort models – this paper shows that rather than producing hostility to immigration, being socialised in a context of high immigrant-origin diversity is likely to result in more positive attitudes to immigration later in life. This implies that through generational replacement, countries like the UK are likely to become increasingly tolerant of immigration over time. Importantly, however, a context of high-income inequality may diminish this effect.

Latino immigrant youth perceptions of receptivity in an emerging immigrant gateway in the US Southeast

This article explores how Latino immigrant youth perceive their receptivity or degree of welcome into society, specifically in the context of Charlotte, North Carolina, an emerging immigrant gateway in the US Southeast. While some policies and Latino youth experiences resonate outside Charlotte and North Carolina, there are place-based nuances that should be acknowledged. Drawing on interviews with 36 Latino immigrant youth, this paper centers the voices of immigrants themselves and how they define and perceive their receptivity. Participants viewed Charlotte as less receptive than California but more receptive than Arizona (states that participants repeatedly mentioned as opposing sides of the receptivity continuum), and rural or suburban Southern communities. They based their receptivity assessments on how long Latinos have been in Charlotte, the number of Latinos, the visibility of and interactions with other Latinos, support infrastructure for Latino immigrant youth, in-state tuition policy, and daily interactions with White and African American US-born residents. Responses from Latino immigrant youth furthers our understanding of how receptivity is experience, conceptualized, and measured. Results also challenge the concept of the “New South” and ask us to think critically about what the “New South” means.

The Perilous Borderlands

This article examines four decades of anti-Japanese paranoia in popular American media, particularly in California, from the early 1900s to the eve of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. It illustrates the overlooked influence that this hysteria had in shaping American perceptions of Japanese immigrants in Baja California, Mexico, and the consequences of those views for these borderlands prior to 1941. Drawing on California and U.S. national newspapers, contemporary novels, and U.S. government records, the article shows that the presence of Japanese immigrants in Baja California was for decades used as a pretense by American interest groups seeking to annex the peninsula. Beneath these alleged security concerns were strong economic interests, among which obtaining sole control over the Colorado River figured prominently. Decades of annexation calls based on a supposed Japanese threat, this article argues, influenced the Mexican government's 1942 decision to place its citizens of Japanese descent in internment camps.

Korean Diaspora in the South Korean media discourse: changing narrative

ABSTRACT This paper aims to analyse the perception of Koreans overseas in South Korean mass media. Nowadays, due to globalization processes, the economic, political and cultural contacts between South Korean society and Korean diaspora has intensified. As a result, the perception of Korean immigrants in South Korea is becoming more positive. The analyses of media materials show that South Korean media highly estimate the contribution made by Korean immigrants to the development of South Korea, both historically and in the modern period. In addition, media also praise the positive qualities of Korean immigrants, such as being hardworking, and their active participation in the political and economic life of the host country. Another common narrative is the positive role of Korean diaspora in bilateral relations between the host country and South Korea. The comparison of recent media materials with those of the beginning of the XXI century shows that the positive representation of Korean diaspora is a recent tendency. The article also underlines that the way South Korean media develop a narrative about South Korean diaspora is on many occasions close to the narrative of South Korean officials.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions of Immigrant Parents Towards Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination: A Systematic Review.

Background: Our understanding about knowledge, attitudes and perceptions (KAP) of immigrants regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is poor. We present the first systematic review on KAP of immigrant parents towards HPV vaccine offered to their children. Methods: Major bio-medical databases (Medline, Embase, Scopus and PsycINFO) were searched using a combination of keyword and database-specific terms. Following identification of studies, data were extracted, checked for accuracy, and synthesised. Quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale and the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment tool. Results: A total of 311 titles were screened against eligibility criteria; after excluding 292 titles/full texts, 19 studies were included. The included studies contained data on 2206 adults. Participants’ knowledge was explored in 16 studies and ranged from none to limited knowledge. Attitudes about HPV vaccination were assessed in 13 studies and were mixed: four reported negative attitudes fearing it would encourage sexual activity; however, this attitude often changed once parents were given vaccine information. Perceptions were reported in 10 studies; most had misconceptions and concerns regarding HPV vaccination mostly influenced by cultural values. Conclusion: The knowledge of HPV-related diseases and its vaccine among immigrant parents in this study was generally low and often had negative attitude or perception. A well-designed HPV vaccine health educational program on safety and efficacy of HPV vaccination targeting immigrant parents is recommended.

UKIP Support in Local Elections: Which Factors Play a Role in Determining Electoral Fortunes?

In recent years, a growing body of research has been produced concerning factors driving electoral support for the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). In this article, I seek to provide novel insights into factors that drive UKIP support in elections at the local level. Drawing on electoral, economic, migratory, demographic, and crime data from 2004-2016 for all London boroughs, a series of fixed effect panel models are constructed to assess longitudinal effects on UKIP support. Results display rising crime, falling turnout, and falling Conservative party vote share lead to rises in UKIP vote share, while changes in migration rates, economic well-being, size of British population, and Labour party vote share have no meaningful effect on UKIP vote share. These findings show that while perceptions of immigration and the economy may affect voter choice for Eurosceptic, nationalist, and populist parties, actual change in migration and economic conditions have no effect on voter support. Additionally, there is substantial evidence that rising rates of local crime lead voters to seek out parties with a policy platform supporting strengthened criminal justice measures. Finally, UKIP support in local elections is shown to be drawn heavily from former Conservative voters, as opposed to disenchanted Labour supporters.

The political economy of “White Identity Politics”: economic self-interest and perceptions of immigration

ABSTRACT This article challenges the prevailing contention that economic self-interest does not affect public attitudes toward immigration. Through an in-depth re-analysis of the data and findings of Ashley Jardina’s White Identity Politics (2019), it is argued, first, that a number of variables that are characterized as status-based or sociotropic can plausibly be interpreted as measuring economic self-interest. Second, and more importantly, it is argued that the variables that are often used to measure economic self-interest do not follow from the theoretical claims that are meant to inform their interpretation. Third, it is shown that limiting one’s analysis to white respondents – a trend which has become typical, especially since the 2016 US presidential election – severely limits one’s capacity to make convincing explanatory claims. I conclude by arguing that a more appropriate measure of economic self-interest is a measure of perceived job (in)security and a more nuanced measure of employment status.

Perceptions of the osteopathic profession in New York City’s Chinese Communities

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess knowledge of and barriers to osteopathic medicine in Chinese immigrant communities in New York City (NYC).DesignA cross-sectional study was designed in which...

A threat from within? Perceptions of immigration in an enlarging European Union

Scholars have taken a considerable interest in how global immigration to Europe generates public concern, but we still know little about the role that migration from within the European region has in fueling apprehensions. To better understand this, I examine how public attitudes towards immigration have responded to migration following the European Union’s most extensive enlargement along its eastern border in 2004. Using recent advances in multilevel modeling, this article analyzes the longitudinal, cross-sectional relationship between east–west internal European migration on public attitudes towards the economic and cultural aspects of immigration in Western Europe using individual-level data from the European Social Survey (2004–2014). The results demonstrate that growing populations of Central and Eastern European foreigners have contributed to Western Europeans’ perception of immigration as an economic threat, even when taking into account simultaneous immigration from outside Europe. Moreover, the relationship between east–west immigration and an individual’s perception of immigration as a threat is conditional upon their socio-economic status. These findings underscore how within-European immigration in Western Europe has become consequential to the public’s attitudes about immigration more generally.

Public Opinion in the United States and Hungary: How Trump and Orbán have Manufactured the Debate over Refugees

This research paper is inspired by the author’s recent experience interning with US Together – Cleveland, a non-profit refugee resettlement agency that provides services before, during, and immediately after refugees’ arrival. It will utilize a humanitarian approach to the topic of public opinion and perception of refugees in the United States. In order to put these findings in the context of world refugee response, Hungary will be considered as another case study. This will include a look into the history of refugees in both countries, as well as the recent policy changes by both the Trump and Orban administrations respectively. This is a critical topic in today’s increasingly globalized world as there appears to be negative attitudes to waves of refugees arriving in both countries. The purpose of closely following the Trump and Orban policies will be to determine whether the vitriol espoused by these leaders is a result of those feelings already being present in the population that elected them, or if their cult of personalities have popularized the peoples’ perceptions of immigrants and refugees. This paper will explore the historical, economic, and social factors that relate to public opinion of refugees. This paper finds that it is most likely that Trump and Orban are microphones of their electorate. While they themselves might hold these views, they were elected on xenophobic platforms because enough people also held these beliefs.

Representation of migrants in the Russian mass media and its dynamics (2010-2020)

Over the last decades, scholars have reported a high level of xenophobia in Russia, which persists and spreads amidst all strata of the population. This shows the significance of the migration issue in the country and its topicality in the public discourse. However, the explanatory models used to analyze the perception of immigrants in Western countries do not find absolute empirical support in Russia. For this reason, researchers emphasize the importance of media discourse as a leading factor in constructing attitudes toward the foreign migrants in Russia. We take into account, firstly, the persistence of xenophobic attitudes among Russians, and secondly — the role of the migrants’ image, constructed by mass media, in shaping the perception of the immigrants among the locals. In this regard, this article hypothesizes that despite the official ban of the “hate language” and ethnization of crime, the negative representation of immigrants not only persists in the Russian media discourse, but is unfortunately increasing. To test this hypothesis, we utilize the results of research on the representation of immigration in Russian media discourse published between 2010 and 2020, which we analyze in the methodological framework of critical discourse analysis. We conclude that at the end of the current decade, there have been certain improvements in the media coverage of the migration issue, caused by the shift of the spotlight onto other problems, thus, the negative images of immigrants simply were not a part of the media agenda. On the one hand, this can help reduce ethnic tensions, although on the other, it complicates the development of the culture of interaction between the local and immigrant communities, since the national and cultural characteristics of migrants and their experience of living in Russia remain underrepresented in the media.

The Indirect Fiscal Benefits of Low-Skilled Immigration

Low-skilled immigrants indirectly affect public finances through their effect on native wages & labor supply. We operationalize this general-equilibrium effect in the workhorse labor market model with heterogeneous workers and intensive and extensive labor supply margins. We derive a closed-form expression for this effect in terms of estimable statistics. We extend the analysis to various alternative specifications of the labor market and production that have been emphasized in the immigration literature. Empirical quantifications for the U.S. reveal that the indirect fiscal benefit of one low-skilled immigrant lies between $770 and $2,100 annually. The indirect fiscal benefit may outweigh the negative direct fiscal effect that has previously been documented. This challenges the perception of low-skilled immigration as a fiscal burden.

«Сердце тьмы» и «Темный континент»: Африка и ее народы в польских СМИ и социальном восприятии

Objectives. The cognitive purpose of the article is to describe the stereotype of the Africans in the profiles of stereotypical perception of the Poles, created under the influence of the media and the low level of cultural competence of the Poles, as well as to identify the Poles’ attitudes towards the Africans and social problems arising in mutual relations. Background. The image of Africa and its inhabitants in the social perception of Poles is an issue still under-studied and burdened with deficit empirical knowledge. He is burdened with stereotypes created over many years by building a distorted image of Africa through the media and pop culture. An important determinant of the subjective image of the inhabitants of Africa in the perception of Poles is also their lack of cultural competence, which is based on the small population of Africans in Poland and limited contacts with them, as well as the lack of tendency of Poles to expand their knowledge about other nations. Methodology. The article is based mainly on qualitative research — on the analysis of secondary data (desk research) coming from research reports, which are supplemented by the results of quantitative research on the perception of refugees and immigrants in the opinion of the young generation of the Poles. The essence of the article is an attempt to answer the question: what is the image of Africans and Africa in Poland and to what extent is it changing? Conclusions. However, the stigmas of the past seem to be disappearing, and Polish society is also opening up to the world in terms of culture. thanks to this, changes in the perception of Poles are visible not only towards Africans but also to other nations. The increase in the population of „foreign” nationalities, including those from Africa, as well as the spatial mobility of Poles observed in Poland mean that the image of Africans is changing. It is still a slow process, but it shows change — moving away from misperception and stereotypes in favor of knowledge and openness.

Postrzeganie Polaków oraz dobrostan imigrantek w opiniach kobiet z dawnych krajów radzieckich: wybrane aspekty

Perception of Poles and immigrants’ well-being in the opinions of women from the former Soviet countries: selected aspects In our meetings with representatives of other cultures, we look at each other, compare our experiences, create some ideas about the culture of a given country. The research goal is to explore images of Poles in the experience of immigrant women from post-Soviet countries, as well as to understand the subjective sense of their well-being in the situation of migration. The basis of the analysis are data from long observation of social media, scientific publications, reports, blogs. I pay special attention to the view of Belarusian women living in Poland, also because of the small number of thematic scientific publications from the perspective of this social group. The characteristics of Poles that immigrants from Belarus, Ukraine and Russia consider to be typical are presented. My inspiration comes from cultural theories in the sociology of emotions, namely the category of emotional culture and gender ideology by Arlie Russel Hochschild are used.

Attitudes Toward Immigration: Ethnicity Trumps Skills But Not Legality?

ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to parse the effect of ethnicity as a potential driver of public perception of immigrants from previous finding on the labor market competition hypothesis (e.g., Hainmueller and Hiscox, 2010; Hainmueller and Hopkins, 2015).MethodsWe rely on survey experiments to analyze the effect of ethnicity on attitude formation toward immigrants. In a first experiment, we test whether favoritism for high‐skilled immigrants diminishes when we add the Hispanic descriptor. In a second experiment, we examine whether public opinion toward undocumented immigrants is affected by region of origin.ResultsWe find that favoritism for high‐skilled immigrants drops when we add the Hispanic descriptor, but that legal status outweighs any possible anti‐Hispanic sentiment.ConclusionOur study provides a novel setup to study the interaction between economic factors and ethnicity as drivers of attitudes toward immigration among California's voters. We find some evidence that supports our hypothesis that anti‐Hispanic sentiment drives attitude formation toward immigrants and immigration.

Влиянието на социалните стереотипи върху процесa на интеграция на арабските имигранти в европейските държави

The manifestation of stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination on ethnic, religious and/or gender grounds is an extremely sensitive issue in contemporary European society. It influences the perception of Arab immigrants in intergroup and interpersonal relationships in many European countries. Furthermore, the lack of awareness campaigns in the media and the existing ineffective policies lead to stigmatization of an entire homogeneous group of the population, hindering the processes of integration and socialization.