Trading Off Openness: Economic Information and Immigration Policy Preferences

Abstract

We conducted a survey experiment with over 8,000 participants in Germany, Hungary and Italy to examine how information about the economic impact of immigration affects the support for more open immigration policies. Respondents who received projections showing higher future incomes under more open immigration policies reported greater support for these policies. The treatment also partly changed how prior attitudes affected policy preferences. Structural estimates suggest that majority support for immigration above current levels would require annual per-capita income gains of about 1.2% in Italy and 1.7% in Germany, and still larger or unattainable gains in Hungary. These increases are large relative to recent historical growth rates, suggesting that economic benefits alone are unlikely to generate vast support for more open immigration policies. Joint paper with Cristina Cattaneo, Daniela Grieco and Mario Macis.