A Top Concern for Voters Worldwide: Is Migration a Serious Problem?
Around 50 counties across the world are set to hold election this year, which makes 2024 the biggest election year in history.
While there are many issues and crises facing the world populations, several voters worldwide see migration as their top concern, according to recent polls.
A Critical Threat
In the United States, more Americans cite immigration as the most significant issue facing their country. A Gallup survey in February 2024 showed that 28% of Americans think that immigration is the most important problem facing the US, an increase from 20% a month earlier.
The same survey revealed that 55% of US adults say that large numbers of illegal immigrants is a critical threat to US vital interests, a record-high increase.
A new poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal in March found that 20% of the voters rank immigration as their top concern, rising from 13% in December, whereas 65% of voters disapproved of President Biden’s handling of border security.
Less Economic Benefits
While immigrants contribute to US economic growth, the number of US adults who see benefits from immigration has dropped, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found in March.
About 41% of Americans say that legal immigrants have a major benefit for American companies with the expertise of skilled workers in fields like science and technology. 38% say that legal immigrants contribute a major benefit by enriching American culture and values. However, both figures were down compared to 2017, when 59% of Americans saw legal immigrants as a major benefit.
The Trump Effect
That change was driven mainly by the Republicans, with 41% seeing a major risk that legal immigrants will commit crimes in the US. According to the Gallup poll, 90% of Republicans believed illegal immigration was a critical threat.
The former US president and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump frequently employs a degrading and inflammatory rhetoric against immigrants in his campaign, accusing them of fueling violent crime in the US.
However, research has shown that immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans, and that neighborhoods with more immigrants have lower rates of crimes.
A Change in Europe
Although Europe has witnessed a surge in populism and a rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric among far-right parties, surveys show that illegal immigration is not the top concern for European voters, who will elect a new European Parliament next June.
The Eurobarometer poll, which tracks public opinions in the European Union every quarter, found that poverty and social exclusion are the top priority for European voters, at 33%, while migration and asylum fell to seventh place, with 24%.
Another study conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) divided the crises facing Europe before the elections into 5 categories: economy, security, health, climate, and migration. These crises have created political identities throughout European countries.
A German Concern
The ECFR commissioned a survey in 11 European countries: EU states Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Romania, Portugal, and Estonia; and two European countries outside the EU – Great Britain and Switzerland to assess the impact of these crises on the political trends in those countries.
The survey found that Germany is the only country where the largest number of people selects immigration as their top issue of concern.
But Germans are not alone in viewing immigration as a top priority issue. An Ipsos B&A/Irish Times poll showed that 22% of Irish adults cite immigration as their top concern, feeling that Ireland has overstretched itself.
The respondents have a negative sentiment towards the government policy on immigration, pointing to how Irish citizens are now competing with immigrants for scarce housing and limited public services.
Impact on Economy
It is worthy to note that migration can have a positive impact on economies and be a major driver of development and prosperity, as migrants contribute to the economy of their host country.
Recent studies conducted by Boston University economist Tarek Hassan have shown that immigrants play a role in fueling local economies by stimulating innovation and driving up wages.
The effects of a migrant influx are long-lasting, attracting foreign investors and boosting export opportunities. This can attract native workers, hoping for an invigorated economy and searching for better opportunities.
Hassan’s studies found that migration boosts innovation and drives up wage levels. He said, “More immigrants create more economic growth. And because it creates more economic growth locally, it raises the wages of the people who are already there.”
Ethnic Diversity
One of Hassan’s studies focused on how one area’s appeal to migrants from the same country could help attract foreign investment to that region for years.
“You can still see today that places where Germans settled within the Midwest 100 years ago are much better at attracting foreign investment from Germany than places that didn’t see that migration,” he explained. The same is true for other communities with a concentration of other migrant populations, like Chinese or Polish.
Hassan said, “Ethnic diversity in that sense is really good for the ability of local firms to conduct business abroad, to both receive and make foreign investments.”
Living near people from other countries and different cultural backgrounds can help in changing native views on people of foreign descent, decreasing hostility and prejudice towards foreigners, while developing empathy and understanding.
This also can have an impact on voting patterns as people tend not to vote for candidates who are hostile towards immigrants, one of Hassan’s studies showed.
