Revisiting the role of education in attitudes toward immigration in different contexts in Europe
2025

The Role of Education in Immigration Attitudes in Europe

Sample size: 245291 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Umansky Karen, Weber Daniela, Lutz Wolfgang

Primary Institution: University of Potsdam

Hypothesis

Does higher education still lead to more tolerant attitudes toward immigration in different European contexts?

Conclusion

Higher education is associated with more tolerant attitudes toward immigration, but this relationship varies by context and region.

Supporting Evidence

  • Higher education is linked to more positive attitudes toward immigration.
  • The impact of education on immigration attitudes varies by region.
  • Contextual factors like migrant inflow rates can reduce education's liberalizing effect.

Takeaway

People with more education tend to be nicer to immigrants, but this can change depending on where they live and how many immigrants are around.

Methodology

The study used data from the European Social Survey over 16 years, analyzing attitudes toward immigration in 15 European countries with a hierarchical model.

Potential Biases

Potential biases may arise from the self-reported nature of survey data and the limited number of Eastern European countries included.

Limitations

The study does not imply causality and is limited by the selection of countries based on data availability.

Participant Demographics

Participants included individuals from 15 European countries, with varying levels of education and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/s41118-024-00238-9

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