Are Danes’ Immigration Policy Preferences Based on Accurate Stereotypes?

Stereotypes about 32 country-of-origin groups were measured using an online survey of the adult, non-elderly Danish population (<i>n</i> = 476 after quality control). Participants were asked to estimate each group&#8217;s net fiscal contribution in Denmark. These estimates were then...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Emil O.W. Kirkegaard, Noah Carl, Julius D. Bjerrekær
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-03-01
Series:Societies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/10/2/29
Description
Summary:Stereotypes about 32 country-of-origin groups were measured using an online survey of the adult, non-elderly Danish population (<i>n</i> = 476 after quality control). Participants were asked to estimate each group&#8217;s net fiscal contribution in Denmark. These estimates were then compared to the actual net fiscal contributions for the 32 groups, taken from a report by the Danish Ministry of Finance. Stereotypes were found to be highly accurate, both at the aggregate level (<i>r</i> = 0.81) and at the individual level (median <i>r</i> = 0.62). Interestingly, participants over- rather than underestimated the net fiscal contributions of groups from countries with a higher percentage of Muslims. Indeed, this was true at both the aggregate and individual levels (<i>r</i> = &#8722;0.25 and median <i>r</i> = &#8722;0.49, respectively). Participants were also asked to say how many immigrants from each group should be admitted to Denmark. There was a very strong correlation between participants&#8217; aggregate immigration policy preferences and their estimates of the 32 groups&#8217; fiscal contributions (<i>r</i> = 0.98), suggesting that their preferences partly reflect accurate stereotypes. Most of the analyses were pre-registered.
ISSN:2075-4698