June 26, 2018--Immigration Fact Check

In case you missed this, the Sunday New York Times ran an interesting piece that debunked many of the stereotypes surrounding our current so-called immigration debate.

In "Migrants Are On the Rise Around the World, and Myths About Them Are Shaping Attitudes," see the section, "People Perceive There Are More Immigrants Than There Really Are"--

A study based on surveys in the United States and a variety of European countries by the economists Alberto Alesina, Armando Miano and Stefanie Stantcheva found people across the board vastly overstate their immigrant populations.

The overestimates are largest among particular groups: the least educated, workers in low-skill occupations with lots of immigrants, and those on the political right.

They overstate the share of immigrants who are Muslim and underestimate the share of Christians. They underestimate immigrants' education and overestimate both their poverty rate and their dependence on welfare. Almost a quarter of French respondents, as well as nearly one in five Swedes and about one in seven Americans, think the average immigrant gets twice as much government aid as native residents do. In no country is this true. 

People who are against immigration generate a sense of crisis," Professor Alesina said. "They create a sense that 'This is a huge problem; we need a wall.'" 

In any event, the sentiment is eroding support for Europe's social democratic model as well as for the United States' more limited safety net. "Just making people think about immigrants generally generates a strongly negative reaction in terms of redistribution, Professors Alesina, Miano and Stantcheva write.

Worldwide, everyone must be watching Fox News.