Backlash to policy decisions: how citizens react to immigrants' rights to demonstrate. Issue 2 (24th April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Traunmüller, Richard; Helbling, Marc
• Is Part Of: Political science research and methods. Volume 10:Issue 2(2022)
• Page Start: 279
• Page End: 297
• Publication Date: 2022-04-24
• Subjects: Experimental research -- political psychology -- public opinion; Political science -- Periodicals; 320
• DOI: 10.1017/psrm.2020.44
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2049-8470

Abstract

Abstract: Focusing on one specific aspect of immigrant political integration—how authorities deal with their political right to demonstrate—we show in a large-scale survey experiment that liberal policy decisions permitting demonstrations lead to a polarization in attitudes: citizens who agree with a permission become more sympathetic, while those in favor of banning become more critical of immigrants. This notion of opinion backlash to policy decisions adds a new perspective to the literature on immigration attitudes which has either assumed a congruence between public opinion and policy or ignored political sources of anti-immigrant sentiment altogether. By exploring the unintended consequences of policy decisions, we provide an alternative view and demonstrate the inherent dilemma of balancing citizen opinion and minority rights.