Comparative Analysis of Anti-immigration Attitudes in the European Union

In 2015, Europe was overwhelmed by a migrant crisis when it received over 1.3 million asylum applications - twice as many as in the previous year. The main consequence of the migrant crisis was the growth of anti-immigration attitudes among Europeans. The aim of this study is to explore the factors that shape the negative position of European citizens towards immigrants. We opt for a quantitative methodology using two rounds of the European Social Survey (ESS). We conduct a multi-level analysis a to explore the effects of economic, social and political contexts on anti-immigration attitudes between 2014 and 2017 in 17 European countries. The results showed that, firstly, there were differences in levels and trends of anti-immigration attitudes in different European countries, secondly low socio-economic status and high unemployment are associated with higher level of anti-immigration attitudes.