Attitudes Towards Migrants in the Context of the Settlement Status of Residents of Russia and Other European Countries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2025.5.3018Keywords:
migrants, immigration, education, social attitudes, attitudes towards migrants, readiness to accept migrants, urban and rural populationAbstract
The article aims at identifying whether attitudes towards migrants differ depending on the settlement status of residents of Russia and other European countries and to determine what causes possible variation. The author analyzes materials of the tenth wave of the European Social Survey and the comparable Russian Social Survey and, using multivariate analysis, estimates the integral indicators “attitude towards migrants” and “readiness to accept migrants” characterizing the attitudes of the population. The attitudes of urban and rural residents toward migrants are examined taking into account the possible influence of key sociodemographic characteristics.
The study reveals that in most European countries, the attitude of city dwellers towards newcomers is more positive than that of rural residents. At that, no significant differences in attitudes depending on settlement status were found in Russia and several other countries. In most countries, a disproportion in the level of education between urban and rural residents was found, with respondents with higher education holding more favorable attitudes toward immigrants. The study emphasizes the indirect nature of this relationship. In Russia, no significant correlation between education and attitudes is revealed, which partly explains the lack of differences in attitudes toward migrants between urban and rural residents. The author concludes that economic status is a weak explanatory factor for differences in assessments between urban and rural residents.
Using one of the indicators of traditionalism and supranational European identity as an example, the author reveals that differences in attitudes between urban and rural residents are linked to differences in value orientations. The social environment of social interaction is characterized through the lens of the respondent's and their parents' country of birth. It is noted that a heterogeneous environment is more characteristic of the urban population. Ultimately the author concludes that that differences in attitudes toward migrants between urban and rural residents largely reflect education level, value orientations, and a heterogeneous environment. However, the combination and degree of influence of these factors may vary. In some countries, perfect mediation occurs, while in others, the direct effect is reduced but remains significant. Unexplained differences may be associated with the frequency and nature of contact between native-born residents and migrants.
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