Abstract
The findings presented here represent an important first step in explaining and, more importantly, predicting the successes of anti-immigrant messaging by right-wing parties and the groups that will be most receptive to that messaging in the future. By working to present a more comprehensive picture of what does and does not influence (a) a citizen’s overall sentiments toward immigrants and (b) their propensity to vote for an extremist right-wing party, this research contributes a unique perspective that is important both academically and politically. However, while these findings help shed some better lights on persistent questions, there is still more to be done. The current research is somewhat limited by methodological concerns, and a number of other variables and theoretical schools should be explored in future research.
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Notes
- 1.
In Germany, the questions asked about perceptions of assimilation, the will of the majority, immigrants’ impact on culture, immigrants’ impact on crime, and immigrants’ impact on the economy, while in Great Britain the questions asked twice about immigrants’ impact on the economy, about immigrants’ impact on culture, immigrants’ impact on crime, and whether there are too many, and in France the questions asked about immigrants as a cultural benefit, whether there were too many immigrants, about immigrants adopting French customs, whether immigrants were good for the French economy, whether immigrants were a threat to French culture, about increasing crime, and about immigrants taking advantage of social programs. More information about these questions can be found in Appendix A.
- 2.
It should be reiterated, though, that the material concern finding, at least, is not wholly explained by this differentiation, as one would expect the British case to be most likely to have a positive relationship between a decline in one’s perception of their future economic situation and anti-immigrant sentiment, given that a full 40% of the index is constituted of economic-based questions.
- 3.
Though the effective dissolution of UKIP in 2017 complicates even this assertion.
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Daigle, D.T., Neulen, J., Hofeman, A. (2019). Discussion/Conclusion. In: Populism, Nativism, and Economic Uncertainty. Europe in Crisis. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02435-2_8
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