From Contact to Threat: A Social Network Perspective on Perceptions of Immigration

TL;DR

This study investigates how both close contacts and broader social network exposure influence perceptions of immigration, revealing a threshold effect where increased exposure can shift attitudes from positive to negative.

Contribution

It combines large-scale social network data with survey insights to uncover how different social contexts impact immigration perceptions, highlighting a tipping point in attitude shifts.

Findings

Network exposure influences perceptions, with a threshold beyond which attitudes become negative.

Close contacts and multi-context exposures reinforce perceptions, affecting public opinion.

Private social contexts maintain positive perceptions despite increased exposure.

Abstract

Our perceptions are shaped by the social networks we are embedded in. Despite the acknowledged influence of close contacts on how we perceive the world, the role of the broader social environment remains opaque. Here, we leverage a unique combination of population-scale social network and survey data on perceptions of immigration. We find that both direct contacts and a wider social network exposure to migrants matter. Notably, for natives, network exposure shows a shift from positive to negative association with perceptions of immigration beyond a certain exposure threshold. The multi-layer nature of our data highlights this tipping point for next-door neighbors, with private social contexts exhibiting a positive relationship between exposure and immigration perceptions. Furthermore, it shows that contacts spanning multiple contexts also strengthen this relationship. The provided insights on the interplay between network composition and attitudes toward immigration highlight generic patterns shaping public opinion on pressing societal issues.