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Examining predictors of anti-immigrant sentiment

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Using integrated threat theory as the theoretical framework, this study examines the impact of perceived realistic threats (threats to welfare) and symbolic threats (threats to worldview) on anti-immigrant sentiment among a nationally representative sample in the U.S. Analysis of the antecedents of prejudice is particularly relevant today as anti-immigrant sentiment…

Using integrated threat theory as the theoretical framework, this study examines the impact of perceived realistic threats (threats to welfare) and symbolic threats (threats to worldview) on anti-immigrant sentiment among a nationally representative sample in the U.S. Analysis of the antecedents of prejudice is particularly relevant today as anti-immigrant sentiment and hostile policies toward the population have risen in the past two decades. Perceived discrimination has also become salient within immigrant communities, negatively impacting both mental and physical health. Using logistic ordinal regressions with realistic threat, symbolic threat, and immigrant sentiment scales, this study found that both realistic and symbolic threats increased participants' likelihood of selecting a higher level of anti-immigrant sentiment, suggesting both are predictive of prejudice. However, symbolic threats emerged as a greater predictor of anti-immigrant sentiment, with an effect size over twice that of realistic threats. Implications for social work policy, practice, and future research are made.
ContributorsKiehne, Elizabeth (Author) / Becerra, David (Thesis advisor) / Segal, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Androff, David K. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Pathways to Support for Integrationist Immigration Policymaking among U.S.-born Whites: Testing the Deprovincialization Hypothesis of the Intergroup Contact Theory and the Role of Latino Immigrant Threat Perception

Description
Nearly 11 million immigrants in the United States, three-quarters of which are Latino, lack legal authorization to live and work in the country; nonetheless, the majority of these individuals have resided in the U.S. for a decade or more and have profound social, emotional, cultural, and economic ties to the…

Nearly 11 million immigrants in the United States, three-quarters of which are Latino, lack legal authorization to live and work in the country; nonetheless, the majority of these individuals have resided in the U.S. for a decade or more and have profound social, emotional, cultural, and economic ties to the country (Passel & Cohn, 2018). Despite being deeply embedded in their communities, the dominant policy response involves increased immigration enforcement and advancing a hostile socio-political context (Gulasekaram & Ramakishnan, 2015). This policy approach comes at a great cost to immigrant and Latino communities throughout the U.S. and is largely ineffective. Accordingly, many advocates and stakeholders, including the National Association of Social Workers (2017), argue for policies that integrate “unauthorized permanent residents” (Martínez, Slack, & Martínez- Schuldt, 2018).

The primary purpose of this study was to understand strategies that can be leveraged to build support for integrationist policymaking. Among a sample of U.S.-born white college students (n=708), intensive, community, and college contact with Latino immigrants and people of color were assessed; the relationships between intergroup contact and support for integrationist policymaking were examined. To better understand the contact-policy attitudes relationship, the deprovincialization hypothesis of the intergroup contact theory (Pettigrew & Tropp, 2011) and the Latino threat narrative (Chavez, 2013) were merged and tested as a serial pathway by which contact and policy attitudes may be related.

Findings revealed intensive and community contact with Latino immigrants and people of color related to more support for integrationist legislation. In most cases, these effects were direct as well as indirect through the ethnocentrismthreat attitudes pathway. Ethnocentrism fully accounted for the relationships between intensive and community intergroup contact and threat attitudes. These findings have several implications for intervention. First, in the long-term struggle for immigrant integration, intergroup interaction between whites and people of color should be promoted, and the importance of casual intergroup contact should not be dismissed. Interventions that reduce social segregation are needed, as well as efforts to effectively harness the ethnic-racial diversity that presently exists. Cross-group exposure interventions that aim to overcome ethnocentric tendencies should be implemented.
ContributorsKiehne, Elizabeth (Author) / Becerra, David (Thesis advisor) / Stalker, Katie C. (Committee member) / Androff, David K. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
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“Me Siento Segura Aquí. No Quiero Irme.” “I Feel Safe Here. I Don't Want to Leave.” Examining the Impact of Gentrification and Displacement On the Well-Being of the Latina/o Community

Description

This qualitative research study’s main objective is to explore how Latinas/os in South Phoenix, Arizona perceive the impact of the light rail construction. This phenomenological study utilizes three data sources: pláticas (individual interviews), intergenerational pláticas (focus groups), and a mapping exercise. The theoretical framework is composed of three theories—Ecological Systems…

This qualitative research study’s main objective is to explore how Latinas/os in South Phoenix, Arizona perceive the impact of the light rail construction. This phenomenological study utilizes three data sources: pláticas (individual interviews), intergenerational pláticas (focus groups), and a mapping exercise. The theoretical framework is composed of three theories—Ecological Systems Theory, Critical Race, Theory, and Latina/o Critical Theory—which serve as the basis for analyzing the co-collaborators’ lived experiences in relation to the light rail. They view this ongoing development project as symbolic of changes that have taken place in South Phoenix that do not take into account the will of the residents, but rather emphasize the ways that city officials disregard the opinions of residents. Co-collaborators’ experiences related their perceptions, decision-making, and the coping skills they have developed during the construction of the light rail, which I consolidated into five themes: 1) Conexión Emocional con el Sur de Phoenix/Emotional Connection to South Phoenix, 2) Conexión Histórica con el Sur de Phoenix/Historical Connection to South Phoenix, 3) Esperanza y Miedo/Hope and Fear, 4) Movilidad/Mobility (Movilidad Social/Social Mobility y/and Transportación/Transportation), and 5) El Derecho a Quedarse en un Vecindario Transformado/The Right to Remain in a Transformed Neighborhood. The study concludes with implications for social work praxis and recommendations for further study and strategies derived from these findings.
ContributorsGutierrez, Monica (Author) / Becerra, David (Thesis advisor) / Lechuga-Peña, Stephanie (Committee member) / Romero, Mary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
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Hoping for a Better Tomorrow: Do Hope and Optimism Serve as Protective Factors Against Discrimination in Latinx Immigrants

Description
The United States has historically been perceived as a “nation of immigrants'' dueto its eclectic racial and ethnic make-up. Nonetheless, the nation’s relationship and attitudes towards immigrants have been predominantly negative, especially with Latinx immigrants. The criminalization of Latinx immigration has led to an array of poor psychosocial outcomes for…

The United States has historically been perceived as a “nation of immigrants'' dueto its eclectic racial and ethnic make-up. Nonetheless, the nation’s relationship and attitudes towards immigrants have been predominantly negative, especially with Latinx immigrants. The criminalization of Latinx immigration has led to an array of poor psychosocial outcomes for those who arrive and remain within the United States. Numerous studies have found a significant positive relationship between discrimination and elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and stress among Latinx immigrants. Seeing that Latinxs are projected to become 25% of the U.S. population by 2060, there is an urgent need for the development of culturally-affirming interventions grounded on protective factors unique to this population. This study sought to expand on the current literature surrounding the relationship between discrimination and poor mental health outcomes in Latinx immigrants, by determining whether hope and optimism serve as protective factors. Findings from a multi-step linear regression analysis showed that hope and optimism do have a significant moderation effect on Latinx mental health outcomes. Nonetheless, results varied by gender and mental health construct between depression, anxiety, and stress. The findings from this study provide an additional antidote for ameliorating the pernicious effects of discrimination concerning this cultural group. Recommendations informed by these findings are made for social work practice, policy reform, and research.
ContributorsCamacho de Anda, Andrea (Author) / Becerra, David (Thesis advisor) / Lechuga-Peña, Stephanie (Committee member) / Athens, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021