Social ties and attitudes toward immigration in Europe

This dissertation seeks to explain the micro-dynamics of attitudes toward immigration in Europe. Focusing mainly on Western Europe, the driving research question is, why do some people feel threatened by immigration while others do not? In contrast to the mainstream explanations for anti-immigrant sentiments, which generally fall into either the economic interests or national culture categories, I offer a distinctly social perspective. I argue that the characteristics of an individual's social ties influence the way he feels about immigration. Quantitative analysis of survey data from the German Socio-Economic Panel survey and the World Values Survey yields two key insights. First, engagement in certain types of social activity promotes generalized social trust and openness to immigration. These activities include joining clubs, volunteering, and attending religious services, as well as socializing with friends and colleagues on a regular basis. Demonstrating the link between social involvement and tolerance of immigration, these findings support the notion that social capital reinforces liberal democratic values. Second, the development of strong social ties, such as feeling strongly about the local community and regularly helping neighbors, predicts to restrictive immigration preferences. Compared to generalized trust, which promotes openness to immigration, particularized trust takes such attitudes in the opposite direction. The findings highlight the importance of factors that lie beyond pocketbook interests and nationalist passions in shaping views in immigration in Europe.