Threats and Norms: Multicultural Policies and Natives’ Attitudes Towards Immigrants

Abstract

ABSTRACT Do multicultural policies affect natives’ attitudes toward immigrants? I investigate whether cross-country differences and within-country changes in multicultural policies are associated with natives’ negative attitudes toward immigrants and to whom the effects are noticeable. The results of multilevel longitudinal analysis indicate that neither cross-country differences nor within-country changes in multicultural policies are directly relevant to natives’ negative attitudes toward immigrants. However, cross-country differences in multicultural policies are negatively associated with the gap in negative attitudes between natives on the political right and left, while within-country changes in multicultural policies are positively associated with negative attitudes among socioeconomically vulnerable people.