The usual suspects?: attitudes towards immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 has intensified public apprehension about foreigners. In this article, we examine two questions related to public opinion on immigration. First, we assess the importance of cultural and economic factors in studying why individuals support or oppose immigration. Second, we examine the role of public health concerns in shaping attitudes towards open borders by priming the vaccination status of immigrants and the number of COVID-19 cases in their home countries. Using a conjoint analysis based on the data provided by nearly 1,700 respondents in South Korea, we find empirical support for both the existing explanations and public health concerns.