Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T07:47:03.009Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mass Opinion and Immigration Policy in the United States: Re-Assessing Clientelist and Elitist Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 August 2016

Morris Levy ,
Matthew Wright  and
Jack Citrin
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We argue that widely accepted elitist and “clientelist” models of immigration policy in the United States unduly minimize popular pressure on policy-making. These models portray majority opinion in ways that fail to recognize divergence between the public’s abstract goals for immigration policy and its support for the concrete policy changes needed to achieve them. As a result, they obscure many important instances in which immigration policy accords with public preferences despite counter-pressure from elites and organized lobbies. We demonstrate this point by identifying and explaining gaps between generalized attitudes and beliefs about specific policies in the domains of both legal and illegal immigration, showing that status quo legal admissions policies are not starkly at odds with majority preferences and that, contrary to interpretations of most commercial polling on the topic, majorities reject specific aspects of legalization programs that organized lobbies insist on as components of a “grand bargain” to overhaul an immigration system widely viewed as “broken.” Appreciating the nuance in mass opinion toward immigration policy helps explain policy stagnation that confounds elitist models and suggests that forging ahead with immigration reform will require persuading the public and not only successful bargaining among elites and interest groups.

Type
Articles
Information
Perspectives on Politics , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , September 2016 , pp. 660 - 680
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barabas, Jason. 2007. “Measuring Democratic Responsiveness.” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL.Google Scholar
Boyle, Matthew. 2013. “False: Obama Claims Immigration Bill Requires Illegals to Learn English.” Breitbart. June 8. Accessed online at http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2013/06/08/obama-s-claim-that-senate-immigration-bill-requires-illegals-to-learn-english-is-not-true/.Google Scholar
Brader, Ted, Valentino, Nicholas, and Suhay, Elizabeth. 2008. “What Triggers Public Opposition to Immigration? Anxiety, Group Cues, and Immigration Threat.” American Journal of Political Science 52(4): 959–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Canes-Wrone, Brandice, Herron, Michael, and Shotts, Ken. 2001. “Leadership and Pandering: A Theory of Executive Policy-making,” American Journal of Political Science 45(3): 532–550.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chong, Dennis and Druckman, Jamie. 2007. “Framing Theory,” Annual Review of Political Science 10: 103–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Citrin, Jack, Levy, Morris, and Lenz, Gabriel. 2013. “Californians and Immigration Reform Alternatives.” Institute of Governmental Studies Research Brief. Available at http://igs.berkeley.edu/files/2013_immigration_6–27–13_color.pdf.Google Scholar
Converse, Philip. 1964. “The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics.” In Ideology and Its Discontents, ed. Apter, David E.. New York: Glencoe.Google Scholar
Cornelius, Wayne A. 2001. “Death at the Border: Efficacy and Unintended Consequences of U.S. Immigration Control Policy.” Population and Development Review (27): 661–685.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cornelius, Wayne and Tsuda, Takeyuki. 2004. “Controlling Immigration: The Limits of Government Intervention.” In Controlling Immigration: A Global Perspective, ed. Cornelius, Wayne A.. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Ellis, Christopher and Stimson, James. 2012. Ideology in America. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fetzer, Joel. 2011. “The Evolution of Public Attitudes toward Immigration in Europe and the United States, 2000–2010.” EU-US Immigration Systems Report, 2011–06–01. Fiesole: European University Institute.Google Scholar
Free, Lloyd and Cantril, Hadley. 1967. The Political Beliefs of Americans: A Study of Public Opinion. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.Google Scholar
Freeman, Gary. 1995. “Modes of Immigration Politics in Liberal Democratic States.” International Migration Review 29(4): 881–902.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Freeman, Gary, Hansen, Randall, and Leal, David, eds. 2013. Immigration and Public Opinion in Liberal Democracies. New York: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frymer, Paul and Skrentny, John David. 1998. “Coalition-Building and the Politics of Electoral Capture During the Nixon Administration: African Americans, Labor, Latinos.” Studies in American Political Development (12): 131–161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilens, Martin and Page, Benjamin. 2014. “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens.” Perspectives on Politics 12(3): 564–581.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hainmueller, Jens and Hopkins, Daniel. 2013. “The Hidden American Immigration Consensus: A Conjoint Analysis of Attitudes Toward Immigrants.” SSRN Working Paper 2106616.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hainmueller, Jens and Hopkins, Daniel. 2014. “Public Attitudes toward Immigration.” Annual Review of Political Science 17: 225–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanson, Gordon H. and Spilimbergo, Antonio. 1999. “Illegal Immigration, Border Enforcement, and Relative Wages: Evidence from Apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico Border.” American Economic Review (89): 1337–1357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harwood, John. 2015. “Scott Walker Backtracks on Birthright Citizenship.” MSNBC. August 21. Accessed online at http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/scott-walker-backtracks-birthright-citizenship.Google Scholar
Hayes, Danny. (n.d.). “Media Frames and the Immigration Debate.” Unpublished manuscript. The George Washington University.Google Scholar
Hero, Rodney E. and Preuhs, Robert R.. 2007. “Immigration and the Evolving American Welfare State: Examining Policies in the U.S. States.” American Journal of Political Science (51): 498–517.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Higham, John. 1955. Strangers in the Land: Patterns of American Nativism, 1860-1925. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.Google Scholar
Hollifield, James. 2004. “The Emerging Migration State.” International Migration Review 38(3): 885–912.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iyengar, Shanto and Kinder, Donald. 1987. News That Matters: Television and American Public Opinion. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Joppke, Christian. 1998. “Why Liberal States Accept Unwanted Immigration.” World Politics 50(2): 266–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karapin, Roger. 1999. “The Politics of Immigration Control in Britain and Germany.” Comparative Politics 31(4): 423–444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Key, Validmer. 1961. Public Opinion and American Democracy. New York: Random House.Google Scholar
Kinder, Donald and Kam, Cindy. 2009. Us Against Them: Ethnocentric Foundations of American Opinion. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krikorian, Mark 2013. “The Complete Phoniness of the Gang of 8’s Immigration Bill,” US News and World Report. April 17. Accessed online at http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-the-senate-pass-the-gang-of-8s-immigration-bill/the-complete-phoniness-of-the-gang-of-8s-immigration-bill.Google Scholar
Lahav, Gallya. 2004. “Public Opinion toward Immigration in the European Union: Does it Matter?” Comparative Political Studies 37(10): 1151–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lippmann, Walter. 1922. Public Opinion. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Company.Google Scholar
Lord, Frederic and Novick, Melvin. 1968. Statistical Theories of Mental Test Scores. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
Malhotra, Neil, Margalit, Yotam, and Mo, Cecilia Hyunjung. 2013. “Economic Explanations for Opposition to Immigration: Distinguishing Prevalence and Conditional Impact.” American Journal of Political Science (57): 391–410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masuoka, Natalie and Junn, Jane. 2013. The Politics of Belonging: Race, Public Opinion, and Immigration. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Merolla, Jennifer, Ramakrishnan, Karthick, and Haynes, Chris. 2013. “‘Illegal,’ ‘Undocumented,’ Or ‘Unauthorized’: Equivalency Frames, Issue Frames, and Public Opinion on Immigration.” Perspectives on Politics 11(3): 789–807.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Messina, Anthony M. 1989. Race and Party Competition in Britain. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Money, Jeanette. 1997. “No Vacancy: The Political Geography of Immigration Control in Advanced Industrialized Countries.” International Organization 51(4): 685–720.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monogan, James. 2009. “Immigration Policy in the Fifty U.S. States, 2005–2008,amprdquosemicolon Presented at the Annual Conference for The Society for Political Methodology (Polmeth), July 23–25, 2009, St. Louis, MO.Google Scholar
Muste, Christopher. 2013. “The Dynamics of Immigration Opinion in the United States, 1992–2010.” Public Opinion Quarterly 77(1): 398–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newman, Benjamin J. 2013. “Acculturating Contexts and Anglo Opposition to Immigration in the United States.” American Journal of Political Science (57): 374–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newman, Benjamin, Hartman, Todd, Lown, Patrick, and Feldman, Stanley. 2014. “Easing the Heavy Hand: Humanitarian Concern, Empathy, and Opinion on Immigration.” British Journal of Political Science (forthcoming). http://www.polisci.uconn.edu/people/faculty/doc/Newman%20et%20al_EasingTheHeavyHand.pdf.Google Scholar
Olivas, Michael. 2010. “The Political Economy of the DREAM Act and the Legislative Process: A Case Study of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” Wayne Law Review. (55): 1757–1810.Google Scholar
Passel, Jeffrey S. 2005. “Estimates of the Size and Characteristics of the Undocumented Population.” Pew Hispanic Center Report, March 21. Accessed online at http://www.pewhispanic.org/files/reports/44.pdf.Google Scholar
Prothro, James and Grigg, Charles. 1960. “Fundamental Principles of Democracy: Bases of Agreement and Disagreement.” Journal of Politics 22(2): 276–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramakrishnan, S. Karthick, Esterling, Kevin, and Neblo, Michael. n.d. “Illegality, National Origin Cues, and Public Opinion on Immigration.” Unpublished Manuscript. Accessed online at https://polisci.osu.edu/sites/polisci.osu.edu/files/NebloNatOrgCues063014_0.pdf.Google Scholar
Ramakrishnan, S. Karthick and Wong, Tom K.. 2010. “Partisanship, Not Spanish: Explaining Municipal Ordinances Affecting Undocumented Immigrants.” In Varsanyi, Monica (ed.). Taking Local Control: Immigration Policy Activism in U.S. Cities and States. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press .Google Scholar
Rytina, Nancy. 2002. “IRCA Legalization Effects: Lawful Permanent Residence and Naturalization Through 2001.” Paper Presented at The Effects of Immigrant Legalization Programs on the United States: Scientific Evidence on Immigrant Adaptation and Impacts on U.S. Economy and Society, The Cloister, Mary Woodward Lasker Center, NIH Main Campus, October 25. Accessed online at https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/irca0114int.pdf.Google Scholar
Sassen, Saskia. 1996. Losing Control? Sovereignty in an Age of Globalization. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Schain, Martin, Zolberg, Aristide, and Hossay, Patrick (eds.). 2002. Shadows Over Europe: The Development and Impact of the Extreme Right in Western Europe. New York: Palgrave.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schildkraut, Deborah. 2013. “Amnesty, Guest Workers, Fences! Oh My! Public Opinion about ‘Comprehensive Immigration Reform.’” In Immigration and Public Opinion in Liberal Democracies, ed. Freeman, G., Hansen, R., and Leal, D.. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Schuck, Peter. 2007. “The Disconnect between Public Attitudes and Public Policy on Immigration.” In Debating Immigration, ed. Swain, C.. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Schuck, Peter. 2008. “Immigration.” In Understanding America: The Anatomy of an Exceptional Nation, ed. Schuck, P. and Wilson, J.Q.. New York: Perseus.Google Scholar
Schuman, Howard, Steeh, Charlotte, Bobo, Lawrence, and Krysan, Maria. 1997. Racial Attitudes in America: Trends and Interpretations. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Sears, David and Citrin, Jack. 1982. Tax Revolt: Something for Nothing in California. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Sides, John and Citrin, Jack. 2007. “How Large Are the Huddled Masses? The Causes and Consequences of Public Misperceptions about Immigrant Populations.” Unpublished manuscript. http://home.gwu.edu/∼jsides/huddled.pdf.Google Scholar
Sides, John and Citrin, Jack. 2008. “Immigration and the Imagined Community in Europe and the United States.” Political Studies 56(1): 33–56.Google Scholar
Sides, John and Citrin, Jack. n.d. “How Large are the Huddled Masses? The Causes and Consequences of Public Misperceptions about Immigrant Population.” Unpublished Manuscript. Accessed Online at http://home.gwu.edu/∼jsides/huddled.pdf.Google Scholar
Singer, Audrey. 2004. “The Rise of New Immigrant Gateways.” The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, Living Cities Census Series, February. Accessed online at http://www.brookings.edu/∼/media/research/files/reports/2004/2/demographics-singer/20040301_gateways.pdf.Google Scholar
Sullivan, John, Piereson, James, and Marcus, George. 1979. “An Alternative Conceptualization of Political Tolerance: Illusory Increases 1950s–1970s.” American Political Science Review 73(3): 781–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tichenor, Daniel. 2002. Dividing Lines: The Politics of Immigration Control in America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Timmer, Ashley and Williams, Jeffery. 1998. “Immigration Policy Prior to the 1930s: Labor Markets, Policy Interactions, and Globalization Backlash.” Population and Development Review 24(4): 739–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Truman, David. 1951. The Governmental Process: Political Interests and Public Opinion. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.Google Scholar
Williamson, Vanessa, Skocpol, Theda, and Coggin, John. 2011. “The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism.” Perspectives on Politics 9(1): 25–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, James Q. 1980. The Politics of Regulation. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Wong, Cara. 2010. Boundaries of Obligation in American Politics: Geographic, National, and Racial Communities. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wright, Matthew, Levy, Morris, and Citrin, Jack. 2015. “Public Attitudes Toward Immigration Policy Across the Legal/Illegal Divide.” Political Behavior. Online First. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11109-015-9311-y.Google Scholar
Wu, Frank and Youngberg, Francey Lim. 2001. “People from China Crossing the River: Asian American Political Empowerment and Foreign Influence.” In Chang, Gordon (ed.) Asian Americans and Politics: Perspectives, Experiences, Prospects. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center Press. pp. 311–353.Google Scholar
Zaller, John. 1992. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zaller, John. 2003. “Coming to Grips with V.O. Key’s Concept of Latent Opinion.” In Electoral Democracy, ed. MacKuen, M.B., and Rabinowitz, G.. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Zaller, John and Feldman, Stanley. 1992. “A Simple Theory of Survey Response: Answering Questions versus Revealing Preferences.” American Journal of Political Science 36(3): 579–616.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zolberg, Aristide. 2006. A Nation by Design: Immigration Policy in the Fashioning of America. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Levy supplementary material

Online Appendix

Download Levy supplementary material(File)
File 27.6 KB
Supplementary material: File

Levy supplementary material

Levy supplementary material 1

Download Levy supplementary material(File)
File 5.9 KB
Supplementary material: File

Levy supplementary material

Levy supplementary material 2

Download Levy supplementary material(File)
File 353.1 KB
Supplementary material: File

Levy supplementary material

Levy supplementary material 3

Download Levy supplementary material(File)
File 47.4 KB