Shaping Immigration Attitudes: The Role of Human Values, Media Engagement and Sociopolitical Events Among European Managers

This article examines how human values, media engagement and sociopolitical events shape immigration attitudes across Europe, with a particular focus on understanding the immigration attitudes of European managers, using other workers as a comparison group. Drawing on European Social Survey data from 2016–2023 (rounds 8–11), this study integrates Schwartz’s theory of basic human values with media sociology to explore the interactive effects of value orientations and information exposure. Using multilevel linear modelling, the analysis reveals that self-transcendence values and structured political news consumption are consistently associated with more inclusive immigration attitudes. While managers generally hold slightly more positive views than other workers do, these differences become more pronounced in contexts of high political media engagement. The impact of general internet use varies across countries, highlighting the importance of national media environments. Temporal fluctuations – particularly during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the war in Ukraine – further demonstrate how crises interact with value–media dynamics. By combining individual, occupational and contextual factors, this study contributes to understanding how inclusive attitudes are shaped and reinforced within Europe’s evolving information landscape.