Racial and Economic Factors in Attitudes to Immigration

Hostility towards minorities may sometimes have economic rather than racial motives. Labour market fears, or concerns about the welfare system, may manifest themselves in hostile remarks and actions against population groups that are considered to be competitors for these resources, as well as political radicalisation. The question of what are the components of (often hostile) attitudes of majority populations towards minority related questions, like attitudes towards further immigration, are of great importance for implementing appropriate policies, and to identify the sources of hostility seems crucial for understanding the efficacy of political actions. We try to isolate the components of such attitudes. Our analysis is based on the British Social Attitudes Survey, which includes questions on attitudes towards immigration from different minority groups, as well as attitudes towards related concerns, like job security and benefit expenditures. This information allows us to explore the components of attitudes towards immigration. We specify and estimate a multifactor model. The correlation between answers to questions on immigration and on related issues help us separate different aspects to attitudes.