Do Concerns About Labor Market Competition Shape Attitudes Toward Immigration? New Evidence

Are concerns about labor market competition a powerful source of anti-immigrant sentiment? Several prominent studies have examined survey data on voters and concluded that fears about the negative effects of immigration on wages and employment play a major role generating anti-immigrant attitudes. We examine new data from a targeted survey of U.S. employees in 12 different industries. In contrast with previous studies, the findings indicate that fears about labor market competition do not appear to have substantial effects on attitudes toward immigration, and preferences with regard to immigration policy, among this large and diverse set of voters. Jens Hainmueller, Department of Political Science and Graduate School of Business, 616 Serra Street Encina Hall West, Stanford CA 94305. E-mail: [email protected]. Michael J. Hiscox, Department of Government, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. E-mail: [email protected]. Yotam Margalit, Department of Political Science, 420 W. 118th St. New York, NY 10027. [email protected]. We benefited from the comments of Adam Berinsky, Lisa Martin, Dennis Quinn, and participants at the Global Migration Conference at Tulane University, the Midwest Conference in Chicago, the Meeting of the International Political Economy Society in Madison, and the APSA conference in Seattle. Jeremy Ferwerda provided valuable research assistance. Funding for this research was generously provided by Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. The usual disclaimer applies.