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Brexit, COVID-19, and attitudes toward immigration in Britain.


ABSTRACT: Objective:A key issue in Britain's referendum on European Union membership was the free movement of labor into Britain, with Brexit "Leavers" having more negative attitudes toward immigrants than "Remainers." Such anti-immigrant attitudes are driven by feelings of threat. The coronavirus pandemic presented a new threat in the context of ongoing Brexit negotiations. This paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected anti-immigrant attitudes and how these effects differ between Leavers and Remainers. Methods:Using an online survey in Spring 2020 of 3,708 individuals residing in the UK, we experimentally test the effect of priming COVID-19 thoughts on anti-immigrant attitudes, and examine whether this effect varies by Brexit identity. Results:We show that COVID-19 may exacerbate anti-immigrant attitudes among Leavers while having little effect on Remainers. Conclusion:These findings support the idea that the coronavirus pandemic might have presented a new, viral, threat that heightened anti-immigrant attitudes among certain political identities.

SUBMITTER: Pickup M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8661841 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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