Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/263967 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper No. TI 2022-047/I
Publisher: 
Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam and Rotterdam
Abstract: 
Recent evidence shows that people who grew up in economic hard times more strongly favor government redistribution and are more compassionate towards the poor. We investigate how inclusive this increase in compassion is by studying how macroeconomic conditions experienced during young adulthood affect immigration attitudes. Using US and global data, we show that experiencing bad macroeconomic circumstances strengthen anti-immigration attitudes for life. Moreover, we find that people become generally more outgroup hostile. Our results thus suggest that the underlying motive for more government redistribution is not a universal increase in compassion, but more self-interested and restricted to one's ingroup.
Subjects: 
Immigration
Attitudes
Social preferences
Parochialism
Redistribution
Macroeconomic conditions
Impressionable years
JEL: 
J1
D9
E7
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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