Immigrants’ attitudes towards immigration: convergence towards majority views or ethnoracial polarization?

After decades of research on attitudes towards immigration among the ethnic majority, scholarly interest has recently shifted to investigate these attitudes among immigrants themselves. Drawing on survey data from France, this article investigates the role of migration-related as well as ethnoracial variables in shaping attitudes towards immigration. Our findings suggest that ethnoracial factors trump migration status and other individual-level factors in shaping support for immigration. Migrants and their descendants of African and other non-European origin are more supportive of immigration compared to the French majority and those of European origins net of other factors. Relatedly, among immigrant-origin groups, perceived ethnoracial discrimination is associated with greater support for immigration. In contrast, among the French majority, ethnoracial identity and perceived discrimination are related to lower support for immigration. The findings suggest the solidification of an emerging cleavage based on race/ethnicity that is unlikely to be resolved by immigrant integration over time.