Perceived Migrant Threat among Migrants in Europe

Abstract

This research presents a new perspective on migrant integration. It questions the extent that established migrants perceive threats from new migrants, and how that is influenced by natives’ perceived migrant threat. We hypothesized about an acculturation pattern that established migrants will be more similar to the host country’s dominant public opinion in their migrant threat perceptions than more recent migrants. Furthermore, we examined to what extent ethnic competition theory also applies to migrants. We analysed migrants in the data from the European Social Survey. As expected, established migrants perceive less of a threat from new migrants than natives. Public opinion among natives was positively associated with established migrants’ threat perceptions and in particular with threat perceptions of migrants who had resided longer in the destination country and were better structurally integrated. Moreover, among migrants, threat perceptions are lower in particular in contexts where the share of new migrants with a similar cultural background is higher. Finally, hypotheses derived from ethnic competition theory that have found support among natives were also supported among migrants: The lower the educational level and socio-economic status of established migrants, the stronger their migrant threat perceptions.