How do cross-pressures affect immigration attitudes? : party and educational influences

Abstract

Immigration has become an increasingly politicised issue in many European countries. While prior research emphasises the role of party cues and education in shaping public attitudes to immigration, we know less about the impact of these two factors when they place individuals under cross-pressures. This study explores how exposure to cross-pressures arising from the incongruence between party cues and the values one is expected to hold as a function of educational attainment affects immigration attitudes. The empirical analysis relies on cross-sectional analyses of public preferences in ten European countries and longitudinal analyses of public attitudes in the Netherlands. The results point to attitudinal moderation among party supporters with lower levels of education due to exposure to incongruent party cues. Highly educated party supporters appear to be insensitive to such incongruent cues.