Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP7593
Authors: Giovanni Facchini; Anna Maria Mayda; Riccardo Puglisi
Abstract: Illegal immigration has been the focus of much debate in receiving countries, but little is known about what drives individual attitudes towards illegal immigrants. To study this question, we use the CCES survey, which was carried out in 2006 in the United States. We find evidence that - in addition to standard labor market and welfare state considerations - media exposure is significantly correlated with public opinion on illegal immigration. Controlling for education, income and ideology, individuals watching Fox News are 9 percentage points more likely than CBS viewers to oppose the legalization of undocumented immigrants. We find an effect of the same size and direction for CNN viewers, whereas individuals watching PBS are instead more likely to support legalization. Ideological self-selection into different news programs plays an important role, but cannot entirely explain the correlation between media exposure and attitudes about illegal immigration.
Keywords: attitudes; illegal immigration; immigration media; preferences
JEL Codes: F1; F22; J61
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Media Exposure (L82) | Attitudes Toward Illegal Immigration (K37) |
| Fox News Viewership (Y10) | Opposition to Senate Plan for Legalization (K16) |
| CNN Viewership (Y10) | Opposition to Senate Plan for Legalization (K16) |
| PBS Viewership (L32) | Support for Senate Plan for Legalization (K16) |
| Increase in Coverage of Immigration Stories (K37) | Support for Senate Plan for Legalization (K16) |
| Higher Fraction of Illegal Immigrants in State (K37) | Support for Senate Plan for Legalization (K16) |
| Education and Wealth (I24) | Support for Senate Plan for Legalization (K16) |