PE-W7-Immigration

Discussion Paper Series IZA DP No. 10420

  • Authors: Giovanni Facchini, Yotam Margalit, Hiroyuki Nakata

  • Title: Countering Public Opposition to Immigration: The Impact of Information Campaigns

  • Date: December 2016

Introduction

  • Context: Immigration is a significant and controversial aspect of globalization.

  • Public Sentiment: In many advanced economies, opposition to immigration has surged, bolstered by far-right political movements.

  • Hostality Increase: There is a marked rise in racially motivated hostility and violence against immigrants.

  • Challenge: The main inquiry is how to mitigate antagonism against immigrants through information exposure.

Research Framework

  • Sociotropic Concerns: Opposition often arises from fears regarding broader societal impacts rather than individual self-interest.

  • Study Setting: Japan, with a historically low immigrant population (1.8% in 2015, OECD, 2015), serves as the main backdrop for this research.

  • Study Objective: Evaluate if informing the public on immigration’s social and economic benefits can sway public opinion favorably.

Main Questions:

  1. Can information campaigns effectively reduce public hostility to immigration?

  2. Are public opinions broadly instinctual, or can these be shifted by emphasizing immigration's benefits?

Methodology

  • Experimental Design:

    • The study involves a large-scale survey experiment in Japan.

    • Participants were randomly assigned to receive different information treatments about immigration and its impacts.

  • Intervention Content: Information was aligned with Japan’s societal concerns, such as the aging population, labor shortages, and pension sustainability.

Findings

Key Statistics

  • Pensions Crisis Influence: Information regarding immigration’s role in alleviating Japan’s pensions crisis resulted in a 21 percentage-point increase in support for open immigration policies, translating to a 43-72% increase from a baseline of only 29% support.

  • Labor Shortages Impact: Informational treatment regarding labor shortages produced a 15-19 percentage-point increase in pro-immigration sentiment.

  • Political Mobilization: Learning about immigration’s economic benefits increased political engagement, evidenced by a 53% surge in support for petitions advocating more open immigration.

Temporal Effects

  • Persistence: Effects observed were robust yet diminished over time (10-12 days), maintaining positive sentiment changes.

Mechanisms of Change

Primary Insights

  • Salience vs. New Knowledge: The research distinguishes between whether treatments changed attitudes by making existing concerns more salient or by introducing new knowledge. Evidence suggests the latter played a more critical role.

Communication Techniques

  • Evidence Presentation: The study tested informativeness delivered through personal stories versus statistical data, noting that neither format significantly outperformed the other in promoting positive outcomes regarding immigration.

Implications for Policy and Social Integration

  • Public Campaigns: Advocacy for immigration may benefit from campaigns focusing on the socio-economic advantages of migrants.

  • Broader Applications: Findings suggest the experimental approach to information dissemination could translate to other countries facing similar immigration challenges.

Conclusion

  • Research Contribution: This study emphasizes the potential of information campaigns to reshape public sentiment on immigration positively, tackling prejudice and promoting integration within society.

  • Future Directions: Recommendations for further research exploring long-term effects and various demographics wide reactions to information regarding immigration policy.

  1. Theory and Hypotheses

    • Addressing public opposition to immigration through information campaigns based on sociotropic concerns affecting societal perceptions more than self-interest.

    • Hypothesis: Information on immigration's benefits will sway public opinion favorably.

  2. Research Design

    • Large-scale survey experiment conducted in Japan, selected due to its historically low immigrant population, providing a unique perspective on public attitudes.

  3. Data

    • Participants were randomly assigned various information treatments related to immigration impacts on Japan's aging population, labor shortages, and pension sustainability.

  4. Methods and Techniques

    • Employed quantitative methods to measure changes in public sentiment before and after exposure to targeted information.

    • Comparison of personal narrative versus statistical data as methods of information presentation.

  5. Results

    • 21 percentage-point increase in support for open immigration policies related to pension crisis information; 43-72% increase in baseline support.

    • 15-19 percentage-point increase in pro-immigration sentiment regarding labor shortages.

    • Significant 53% increase in political engagement linked to knowledge of economic immigration benefits.

    • Positive sentiment changes were robust but diminished over 10-12 days.

  6. Conclusions and Policy Implications

    • Emphasizes the effectiveness of information campaigns to reduce prejudice and foster positive attitudes towards immigrants.

    • Suggests that public campaigns should focus on socio-economic advantages of immigration to promote integration.

    • Highlights potential applications of findings to other countries facing immigration challenges, recommending ongoing engagement and tailored campaigns for sustained impact.