Examining Predictors of Anti-Immigrant Sentiment in the U.S

Background & Purpose:  Immigrants have increasingly become targets of hostile and exclusionary legislation (Androff & Tavassoli, 2012).  Previous studies have demonstrated a link between discrimination and poor physical and mental health, particularly depression in adults and reduced social skills, academic competence, and self-esteem in children (Oxman-Martinez et al., 2012).  Increased hostility toward immigrants has contributed to experiences of discrimination and oppression (Araujo & Borrell, 2006). 

The integrated threat theory (ITT) was used as the guiding framework for this study.  The ITT includes two components: realistic threats, which are perceived threats that compromise the majority group’s economic, social, and political power, or overall welfare, and symbolic threats, which are perceived threats that jeopardize the values, beliefs, norms, and worldview of the majority group (Stephan at al., 1998).  Increased knowledge of the predictors of anti-immigrant sentiment is particularly significant, as negative sentiment and anti-immigration policies have risen throughout the U.S. in recent decades (Kang, 2012).  The purpose of this study is to examine the perceived realistic and symbolic threats which predict greater anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S.

 

Methodology: Data from the Transatlantic Trends: Immigration, 2010 dataset were analyzed for this study.  A multi-stage random sampling method was employed to collect data related to perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes around immigration.  This study used the 1,005 participants from the U.S.  The majority of respondents were female (53.1%), and the largest proportion (43.7%) was between 45 and 64 years of age.  Seventy percent of respondents were White, with the remainder being Black (12.2%), Hispanic (7.7%), Asian (2.8%), or other (6.8%). 

Based on the ITT, two scales were created: the realistic threat scale (α= .740) and the symbolic threat scale (α= .635).  The anti-immigrant sentiment scale (α= .778) measured participants’ attitudes toward immigrants.   Three multivariate ordinal logistic regression models examined the relationship between realistic and symbolic threats (controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, political ideology, employment status, religiosity, urban/rural residence, and nativity) and anti-immigrant sentiment.

 

Results:  The results indicated that participants who perceive greater realistic threats (OR_adj= 1.24, p<.001) and symbolic threats (OR_adj= 1.53, p<.001) had a higher likelihood of selecting more anti-immigrant responses.  In other words, for every one unit increase indicating greater perception of realistic and symbolic threat, there was a respective 24% and 53% increase in the odds of choosing a higher category of immigrant sentiment, representing more anti-immigrant sentiment. 

 

Conclusions & Implications:  This study found perceived symbolic threats to be a stronger predictor of unfavorable attitudes toward immigrants, than perceived realistic threats.  This is a particularly notable finding given that data were collected during an economic recession. This study can serve as a guide to future research on factors impacting anti-immigrant sentiment and how those factors lead to discriminatory practices and legislation.  Anti-immigrant sentiment has negative impacts on immigrant populations and in order to begin to address these issues, social workers can engage in community education and training programs such as the intergroup dialogues method that fosters greater understanding and breaks down barriers between the two groups (Nagda & Maxwell, 2011).