Globalization and social distance: Multilevel analysis of attitudes toward immigrants in the European Union.
Attitudes toward immigrants can, to a large extent, be determined by certain macro contextual factors. This paper tests a number of proposed hypotheses to illustrate patterns of influence generated by economic and social globalization on perceived social distance relative to immigrants. The European...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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Series: | PLoS ONE |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274988 |
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author | Ming-Chang Tsai Rueyling Tzeng |
author_facet | Ming-Chang Tsai Rueyling Tzeng |
author_sort | Ming-Chang Tsai |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Attitudes toward immigrants can, to a large extent, be determined by certain macro contextual factors. This paper tests a number of proposed hypotheses to illustrate patterns of influence generated by economic and social globalization on perceived social distance relative to immigrants. The European Union (EU) constitutes an ideal study case as its Member States vary in exposure to globalization and attract immigrants from different countries of origin. We conduct a multilevel analysis combining individual level variables from Eurobarometer's recent dataset collected in 2017 and country-level variables from KOF of Globalization Index and other major sources. The results show that individuals in countries with higher degrees of social globalization have lower levels of social distance toward immigrants, while relative level of economic globalization has scant influence. Contact factors are also evaluated for their potential effects. Both casual and close contacts, as specified, reduce social distance. This study contributes to migration studies by offering a clearer specification of how social, rather than economic, globalization interact with contact factors to decrease one's perceived distance from immigrants in the EU. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-12T13:36:50Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-c8fe7521fd3a4705bab01dd8ebe195ee |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1932-6203 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-12T13:36:50Z |
publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
record_format | Article |
series | PLoS ONE |
spelling | doaj.art-c8fe7521fd3a4705bab01dd8ebe195ee2022-12-22T03:30:59ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-011710e027498810.1371/journal.pone.0274988Globalization and social distance: Multilevel analysis of attitudes toward immigrants in the European Union.Ming-Chang TsaiRueyling TzengAttitudes toward immigrants can, to a large extent, be determined by certain macro contextual factors. This paper tests a number of proposed hypotheses to illustrate patterns of influence generated by economic and social globalization on perceived social distance relative to immigrants. The European Union (EU) constitutes an ideal study case as its Member States vary in exposure to globalization and attract immigrants from different countries of origin. We conduct a multilevel analysis combining individual level variables from Eurobarometer's recent dataset collected in 2017 and country-level variables from KOF of Globalization Index and other major sources. The results show that individuals in countries with higher degrees of social globalization have lower levels of social distance toward immigrants, while relative level of economic globalization has scant influence. Contact factors are also evaluated for their potential effects. Both casual and close contacts, as specified, reduce social distance. This study contributes to migration studies by offering a clearer specification of how social, rather than economic, globalization interact with contact factors to decrease one's perceived distance from immigrants in the EU.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274988 |
spellingShingle | Ming-Chang Tsai Rueyling Tzeng Globalization and social distance: Multilevel analysis of attitudes toward immigrants in the European Union. PLoS ONE |
title | Globalization and social distance: Multilevel analysis of attitudes toward immigrants in the European Union. |
title_full | Globalization and social distance: Multilevel analysis of attitudes toward immigrants in the European Union. |
title_fullStr | Globalization and social distance: Multilevel analysis of attitudes toward immigrants in the European Union. |
title_full_unstemmed | Globalization and social distance: Multilevel analysis of attitudes toward immigrants in the European Union. |
title_short | Globalization and social distance: Multilevel analysis of attitudes toward immigrants in the European Union. |
title_sort | globalization and social distance multilevel analysis of attitudes toward immigrants in the european union |
url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274988 |
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