American Attitudes toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy

American Attitudes toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy
Michael Sobczak
June 2010

ISBN-13:  978-1-59332-386-8 / Hardcover
Dimensions:  5.5 by 8.5 / x, 228 pages

Price   $70.00

Description

Sobczak examines the impact of local structural conditions on Americans’ attitudes toward immigrants and immigration policy. Results indicate social structure strongly predicts views of immigration policy, while shaping views of immigrants indirectly. Contrary to expectations, more favorable views of immigrants and immigration are elicited by residents of locales where structural conditions foster increased levels of intergroup association. Yet, the liberalizing effects of heterogeneous social structures do not extend to locales with precarious economic conditions or heightened levels of intergroup occupational competition. Instead such structural circumstances prompt negative reactions toward immigrants and immigration.

About the Author

Michael J. Sobczak graduated in 2007 with his doctoral degree in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he obtained a B.S. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and an M.A. in Sociology from Northern Illinois University. His research interests span the areas of immigration, race and ethnic studies, demography, and quantitative methods.