Does International Terrorism affect Public Attitudes toward Refugees? Evidence from a Large-scale Natural Experiment
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Does international terrorism affect attitudes toward refugees? Does terrorism mobilize the public to pressure legislators to restrict refugee policy? Are these effects long- or short-lived? To answer these questions, this article presents results from a large-scale natural experiment to investigate the effects of the 2015 Islamic State terrorist attacks in Paris on attitudes toward Syrian refugees in a country that is a major recipient of refugees (Canada). The results demonstrate that the attacks increased (1) anxiety over refugee resettlement, (2) perceptions of refugees as a security and cultural threat, and (3) opposition to resettlement. Furthermore, the attacks increased mobilization among resettlement’s opponents. Using a large-scale survey (n=18,634
) fielded daily across a three-week period, however, we show that these effects were decidedly short-lived. The findings are highly relevant to our understanding of public reactions to major terrorist attacks and the responses of political entrepreneurs in their aftermath.
) fielded daily across a three-week period, however, we show that these effects were decidedly short-lived. The findings are highly relevant to our understanding of public reactions to major terrorist attacks and the responses of political entrepreneurs in their aftermath.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Politics |
Volume | 84 |
Issue number | 1 |
Pages (from-to) | 554-559 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISSN | 0022-3816 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2022 |
ID: 276000239