Regional aspects of immigration‐related changes in political preferences

This paper investigates how right-wing populist voting following the 2015 refugee wave was affected by regional characteristics, using data from a quasi-natural experiment in Sweden. The results suggest that outcomes are heavily dependent on pre-influx municipal characteristics. In localities with strong anti-immigration sentiments during 1990s wave, as well areas high crime rates before there is positive relationship between immigration and voting. However, immigration-related increase nationalist vote significantly smaller depopulation areas. These polarizing effects exacerbated when considering of young males.