Americans' attitudes toward immigrants and immigration: The role of values, social identification, and attitudinal ambivalence

Public opinion polls taken over the last four decades show a downward trend in Americans' attitudes about immigration. As attitudes have become more negative, psychologists have become increasingly interested in understanding what drives them. The present research investigates the influence of social values (humanitarianism and the Protestant work ethic), and social identity (ethnic identity and American national identity) on attitudes toward immigrants and immigration. These issues were explored in an online survey conducted among a national sample of 2,222 adult U.S. residents. Three experimental manipulations were embedded within the survey instrument to test whether any of these constructs could be activated through the use of primes. None of the priming manipulations were effective, however the data yielded several interesting patterns.; First, immigration attitudes differ by both the racial/ethnic background of the respondent and by immigrants' country of origin. In general, respondents were more tolerant of immigration from Poland and China than from Mexico and Jamaica. Black and Hispanic respondents were more favorable toward overall immigration than were White respondents. However, whereas Black and White respondents favored immigrants from their own racial backgrounds, Hispanic respondents favored Polish and Chinese immigration over immigration from Mexico. Respondents' attitudes were influenced by a mix of values, identity, personal immigration history, and education; but the relative importance of these factors varies by the racial/ethnic background of the respondent.; The results further suggest that Americans are highly ambivalent about immigration. Majorities of respondents endorsed both positive and negative attitudes toward immigrants. Moreover, respondents endorsed stronger pro immigrant and anti-immigrant attitudes toward Mexican and Jamaican immigrants than toward other immigrants, suggesting that Americans both empathize with these groups and blame them for their own disadvantage.