Full Citation
Title: Factors associated with attitudes toward U.S. immigration, 2004–2016
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2018
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Abstract: This paper investigates demographic, socioeconomic, political, and contextual factors associated with attitudes toward U.S. immigration. Our innovative study integrates data from the General Social Survey and American Community Survey between 2004-2016. The models include individual-level and county-level variables. We estimate generalized ordered logit models that allow for a better understanding of associations between immigration attitudes and independent variables. We explore disaggregated categories of several independent variables. Results suggest that support to immigration has been increasing over time. Overall, results are suggestive of a race and social class divide in terms of attitudes towards immigration. Non-whites, people with lower levels of racial resentment, those with higher educational attainment, and people who live in counties with higher proportions of college graduates are more likely to be pro-immigration. In contrast, people at the lower end of the occupational stratum, such as those working in areas related to natural resources, construction, maintenance, production, transportation, moving services, and the military are less likely to support immigration. In addition, those between 18 and 24 years of age, non-Protestants, people not living in the South Atlantic region, and those with liberal political inclinations are more likely to be pro-immigration. Finally, our findings also suggest that exposure to immigrants might shape attitudes towards this issue. For example, people who at 16 years of age lived in areas that tend to have higher proportions of foreign-born individuals and those living in counties with higher proportions of immigrants are more likely to support immigration.
Url: https://osf.io/nkry6/download
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Authors: Amaral, Ernesto F. L.; Mitchell, Paige; Marquez-Velarde, Guadalupe
Publisher: Texas A&M University
Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS
Topics: Migration and Immigration
Countries: United States