How the World Views Migration The potential role of diasporas in shaping

public opinion on migration

Connecting, Communicating and Networking with Diasporas 4-6 May 2016 - Dublin Castle - Ireland

Marzia Rango, IOM

Funded by the

European Union

• IOM‘s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC)

• Monitoring public opinion on migration

• Results from the IOM-Gallup report How the World Views Migration

• Challenges of research on public attitudes towards migration

• What role for diasporas? Discussion

Overview

IOM Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC)

Officially launched by DG Swing, on September 7th, 2015

Enhance IOM’s global migration data collection & analysis

Part of IOM’s HQ Global migration challenges

4 staff from Geneva + new recruits

3 key goals

1. Provide timely and authoritative analysis of data on global migration issues

2. Enhance IOM’s efforts to build the data capacities of Member States and Observers

3. Promote a better understanding and use of migration data, including IOM data

• Strong influence of public opinion on migration policymaking

• Public attitudes towards migration affect migrants (in origin/destination countries)

Effectiveness of migrant integration policies

• Migration management includes managing perceptions of migration

Learning about public opinion

Importance of monitoring public opinion on migration

IOM-Gallup report How the World Views Migration

• First global report on public attitudes towards immigration

Interviews with almost 184,000 adults across 142 countries, in 2012—2014

• Nationally representative samples of 1000 (or more) of population aged 15+

• Sample includes migrants and non-migrants (no migrant groups identified)

• 2 questions asked about immigration:

Now, I would like to ask you some questions about immigrants — people who have come to live and work in this

country from another country.

1. In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level, increased or decreased? 2. Do you think immigrants mostly take jobs that citizens in this country do not want (e.g. low paying or not prestigious jobs), or mostly take jobs that citizens in this country want?

IOM-Gallup report How the World Views Migration

Relationship between attitudes towards immigration and:

Personal characteristics

Education, age, employment status of respondents

Migrant status (native-born, first generation migrant, second generation migrant)

Perceptions of economic conditions in the country

Personal standard of living (getting better or worse)

Household income (within country quintile)

Country context

Top 10 Migrant Destination Countries

Income group

International Migration Policies

Globally, people are more likely to be positive rather than negative towards immigration

1. Geography of immigration attitudes

22%

5% 4% 13% 12%

30%

10%

34%

26% 39%

39% 40%

29%

52%

21%

28%

23% 18%

26% 24%

8%

22%

41% 34% 30%

21% 18% 30%

Global* Oceania Northern America Latin America andthe Carribbean

Africa Asia Europe

In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level, increased, or decreased?

Present level Increased Decreased (Don't know/Refused to answer)

*Total group results are weighted by population size. Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Attitudes are vastly different across the Latin America and Caribbean region

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Attitudes are vastly different across the African region

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Residents in Western and South-East Asia more negative, more positive in Gulf countries

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Europe is the most negative region towards immigration – but opinions within Europe vary widely

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Attitudes towards immigration: Northern America Opinions are mostly positive – in the U.S. residents are more likely to favour lower immigration than in Canada.

4% 4% 4%

39% 30%

40%

23%

22%

23%

34% 45%

33%

Northern America Canada United States

In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level, increased or decreased?

Present level Increased Decreased (Don't know/Refused to answer)

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Attitudes towards immigration: Oceania Large majorities in Australia and New Zealand are in favour of increasing or maintaining immigration

levels in their countries.

22

5 6 3

34

26 25 30

21

28 30 19

22

41 40 48

Global Oceania Australia New Zealand

Present level Increased Decreased (Don’t know/Refused to answer)

In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level,

increased or decreased? (%)

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Attitudes towards immigration by share of international migrants in the population

*United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), International Migrant Stock as a Share of the Total Population, 2013

27%

10% 6%

30% 54%

43%

23% 14%

16%

19% 22% 35%

Less than 3% 3-10% Over 10%

In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level, increased, or decreased?

Present level Increased Decreased (Don't know/Refused to answer)

Share of international migrants in the total population*

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Global attitudes towards immigration,by education

Note: Primary or Less: completed primary education or less (up to eight years of basic education) Secondary/some tertiary: some secondary education through three years of tertiary education University: university degree (completed bachelor’s degree or equivalent)

2. Demographics of immigration attitudes

31%

15% 10%

31%

39% 36%

22%

20% 23%

17% 26%

30%

Primary or less Secondary/some tertiary University

In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level, increased, or decreased?

Present level Increased Decreased (Don't know/Refused to answer)

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Attitudes towards immigration: native born vs. immigrants

22% 10% 10%

35%

44% 34%

20% 16%

20%

24% 30% 37%

Native-born Second-generation migrants First-generation migrants

In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level, increased, or decreased?

Present level Increased Decreased (Don't know/Refused to answer)

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Attitudes towards immigration by employment status

22% 15%

33% 41%

22% 23%

23% 22%

Not Unemployed Unemployed

In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level, increased, or decreased?

Present level Increased Decreased (Don't know/Refused to answer)

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Attitudes towards immigration by age

19% 23% 27%

35% 34%

34%

23% 22% 17%

22% 22% 21%

15-29 30-54 55+

In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level, increased, or decreased?

Present level Increased Decreased (Don't know/Refused to answer)

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

3. Economics of immigration attitudes In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its

present level, increased or decreased?

24% 17%

25% 42%

27% 20%

25% 21%

Excellent/Good Fair/Poor

How would you rate economic conditions in this country today -- as excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

Present levelIncreasedDecreased(Don't know/Refused to answer)

25% 16% 13%

25% 40% 48%

27% 23% 17%

24% 21% 22%

Getting Better The Same (Vol.) Getting Worse

Right now, do you think the economic conditions in your country, as a whole, are getting better or getting

worse?

Present levelIncreasedDecreased(Don't know/Refused to answer)

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Attitudes towards immigration by personal standard of living

23% 21% 20%

29% 38% 43%

24% 20% 18%

23% 21% 19%

Getting better The Same (Vol.) Getting Worse

Right now, do you feel your standard of living is getting better or getting worse?

In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level, increased, or decreased?

Present level Increased Decreased (Don't know/Refused to answer)

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Perception of job competition between nationals and immigrants

26

4

15 12 15

35

16

18

8

16 22 18

16

31

29

21

18 18

31

30 35

27

67

52 48

35

19 19

Global Northern America Oceania Europe LAC Asia Africa

Mostly take jobs that citizens in this country do not want Mostly take jobs that citizens in this country want(Both) Don't know/Refused

Do you think immigrants mostly take jobs that citizens of this country do not want (e.g. low-paying or not prestigious jobs) or mostly take

jobs that citizens of this country want? (%)

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Perception of job competition between nationals and immigrants

Do you think immigrants mostly take jobs that citizens of this country do not want (e.g. low-paying or not prestigious

jobs) or mostly take jobs that citizens of this country want?

5% 7% 9%

41% 42% 42%

23%

29% 24%

31% 22% 25%

Mostly take jobs thatcitizens in this country

do not want

Mostly take jobs thatcitizens in this country

want

(Both)

Att

itu

de

s to

war

ds

leve

ls o

f im

mig

rati

on

Present level

Increased

Decreased

(Don't know/Refused to answer)

Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

4. Government policies and immigration attitudes

24%

7% 19%

34%

42%

61% 35%

24%

15% 11%

23% 23%

19% 22% 23% 20%

No intervention Lower (decrease) Maintain (present level) Raise (Increase)

Government policies on immigration levels*

In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level, increased, or decreased?

Present level Increased Decreased (Don't know/Refused to answer)

*UN World Population Policies database, 2011 Source: IOM-Gallup (2015) How the World Views Migration

Key take-aways

1. Opinions about migration around the world are not as negative as often portrayed

2. Lack of opinion for many people around the world Potential to shape it

3. The economy is important but does not explain the full story Cultural and social

dimensions

4. Contact between migrants and non-migrants matters Potentially important role

for diasporas

Challenges of research on public attitudes towards migration

Limitations of public opinion polls

Wording of questions and answer options may affect results

Superficiality (limited answers, no nuances of opinions)

Selection of answer options based on assumptions on what is relevant

Definitions rarely provided – who do people think of when they think of immigrants?

Lack of time to form an opinion

Interpretation of results problematic: assumptions

1. People have an opinion

2. Public opinion results from aggregation of individual opinions

Translation issues (international surveys)

Volatility of personal opinions (timing of survey) importance of contextual factors

Gap: public opinion about emigrants/returnees

• People‘s opinions about emigrants may have an impact on effectiveness of diaspora initiatives in

countries of origin

• Limited empirical research on public opinion about emigration (IOM‘s World Migration Report 2011)

- Ambivalence towards emigrants: from home country abandonment to “national heroes”

• Return migration: largely understudied

- Attitudes towards returnees affect returning migrants and their decisions

- Ambivalence towards return migrants: from role-model status to “failure”

Final remarks

• Strong interplay between public opinion, migration policies and the media

Role of governments

Role of academia/policy analysts

Need for more research on public opinion

• Migrants too often viewed as passive agents in the migration debate

Enabling migrant voices to be heard

IOM’s “I am a migrant” campaign (‘Je suis migrant’, ‘Soy migrante’)

• Personal experience often trumps stereotypes

• How can diasporas contribute in these areas?

Discussion

• Any existing diaspora initiatives to promote a more positive image of migrants?

• Any initiatives by media outlets/the private sector to give voice to migrants?

• Any initiatives from governments/IOs/CSOs to promote a more balanced migration

debate?

• Any new research that colleagues in academia wish to flag?

Contact

Marzia Rango Research Officer

IOM Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) Berlin

mrango@iom.int

www.gmdac.iom.int gmdac@iom.int

Twitter: @IOM_GMDAC