Examining the Determinants of Black Americans’ Attitudes Toward Immigrants

Abstract

The terms immigration and immigrants elicit powerful sentiments in the U.S. population. On the one hand, both terms unequivocally serve as a rallying cry by those who oppose immigration. On the other hand, these terms are embraced by a segment of the population that welcomes immigrants fleeing from poverty, persecution, and high levels of crime in their home countries. To add to the contemporary debate on immigration, the current study examines Black Americans’ attitudes toward immigration in the United States. Using the 2024 General Social Survey dataset and hierarchical logistic and multiple regression models, we found that the region of the country was significantly related to the belief that immigrants should adopt U.S. culture. Also, male and older participants were less likely than female and younger participants, respectively, to believe that immigrants should keep their own culture. Finally, compared to those who neither agreed nor disagreed, participants who agreed that immigrants take jobs away from native-born citizens were more likely to indicate that immigrants increase crime in the community. The implications of our findings for policy and future research are addressed.