Public attitudes towards migration in Scotland: Exceptionality and possible policy implications

Stephen Richard — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 16:40:47 +0000

Primary Author or Creator

David McCollunm

Stephen Richard Fri, 09/24/2021 - 17:40

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Beata Nowok, Scott Tindal, Scottish Affairs Volume 29, Issue 1

Alternative Published Date

2014

Category

Migration

Type of Resource

Academic Paper

Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)

24pp

Fast Facts

The research finds that the public in Scotland does hold relatively positive views towards migration and that this could be related to Scotland's particular experience of population in and out movements. However there is evidence of some (growing) hostility towards migration on the part of the general public in Scotland and a possible link between nationalist leanings and opposition to ‘Others’.

More details

Scotland is often perceived as having a relatively welcoming view towards migrants and is presented as such by its politicians and policymakers. This positioning sits within a broader political context in which the Scottish Government favours immigration but has limited policy levers with which to directly influence it. This paper seeks to scrutinise the supposition that Scotland can be seen as ‘different’ to the rest of the UK in terms of how immigration is perceived in the public realm. This is pursued through the analysis of attitudinal data to explore public views on migration, the potential drivers of these perceptions and their implications for future immigration policy in the context of the 2014 referendum on the constitutional future of Scotland. The research finds that the public in Scotland does hold relatively positive views towards migration and that this could be related to Scotland's particular experience of population in and out movements. However there is evidence of some (growing) hostility towards migration on the part of the general public in Scotland and a possible link between nationalist leanings and opposition to ‘Others’. These findings have significant implications for debates regarding possible future immigration policies in

Resource Address (URL)

https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/pdfplus/10.3366/scot.2014.0006

Keywords

migrants

Immigration

Language English