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People's Attitudes and the Effects of Immigration to Australia

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  • Sinning, Mathias
  • Vorell, Matthias

Abstract

This paper compares the effects of immigration flows on economic outcomes and crime levels to the public opinion about these effects using individual and regional data for Australia. We employ an instrumental variables strategy to account for non-random location choices of immigrants and find that immigration has no adverse effects on regional unemployment rates, median incomes, or crime levels. This result is inline with the economic effects that people typically expect but does not confirm the public opinion about the contribution of immigration to higher crime levels, suggesting that Australians overestimate the effect of immigration on crime.

Suggested Citation

  • Sinning, Mathias & Vorell, Matthias, 2011. "People's Attitudes and the Effects of Immigration to Australia," Ruhr Economic Papers 271, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:rwirep:271
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    International migration; effects of immigration; attitudes towards immigrants; International migration; effects of immigration; attitudes towards immigrants;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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