Scholars have argued that immigrants’ trust in institutions is the result of the exposure to host-country institutions but also shaped by past experiences in the country of origin. These experiences create a “home-country point of reference,” a political/institutional memory that becomes the relevant comparison for any political/institutional interaction in the host country. We develop further this concept and unpack its key determinants—the age at migration and the historical conditions of the home country at the specific time of migration. Only those immigrants who were too old to forget the historical and contextual features of the country-of-origin institutions at the time of migration will rely on this comparison when interacting with institutions in the host country. Across time, there is both a continuous positive/negative accumulation of trust for the host-country institutions among those with less/more democratic points of reference. We examine immigrants’ political trust using survey evidence from Israel.
AbrajanoMHajnalZL (2017) White Backlash: Immigration, Race, and American Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
2.
AlonsoAD (2018) From Here and There: Diaspora Policies, Integration, and Social Rights beyond Borders. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
3.
AlvarezRMHallTELlewellynMH (2008) Are Americans Confident Their Ballots Are Counted?The Journal of Politics70 (3): 754–766.
4.
AriLL (2012) North Americans, Israelis, or Jews? The Ethnic Identity of Immigrants’ Offspring. Contemporary Jewry32 (3): 285–308.
5.
BeckerSOBoeckhKHainzC, et al. (2016) The Empire Is Dead, Long Live the Empire! Long-Run Persistence of Trust and Corruption in the Bureaucracy. Economic Journal126 (590): 40–74.
6.
BellisMADowningJAshtonJR (2006) Adults at 12? Trends in Puberty and Their Public Health Consequences. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health60 (11): 910–911.
7.
Ben-EliezerU (2008) Multicultural Society and Everyday Cultural Racism: Second Generation of Ethiopian Jews in Israel’s “Crisis of Modernization.”Ethnic & Racial Studies31 (5): 935–961.
8.
Ben-PoratG (2013) Between State and Synagogue: The Secularization of Contemporary Israel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
9.
BeylemansC (2016) What Are Your EU Citizenship Rights?London: European Commission.
10.
BilodeauAWhiteSNevitteN (2010) The Development of Dual Loyalties: Immigrants’ Integration to Canadian Regional Dynamics. Canadian Journal of Political Science43 (3): 515–544.
11.
BorjasGFriedbergR (2009) Recent Trends in the Earnings of New Immigrants to the United States (No. w15406; p. w15406). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
12.
BoucherAKGestJ (2018) Crossroads: Comparative Immigration Regimes in a World of Demographic Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
13.
BrandLA (2006) Citizens Abroad: Emigration and the State in the Middle East and North Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
14.
BrunoA (2016) U.S. Policy on Cuban Migrants: In Brief. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service.
15.
BuekerCS (2006) Political Incorporation Among Immigrants from Ten Areas of Origin: The Persistence of Source Country Effects. International Migration Review39 (1): 103–140.
16.
CahillLHaierRJFallonJ, et al. (1996) Amygdala Activity at Encoding Correlated with Long-Term, Free Recall of Emotional Information. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences93 (15): 8016–8021.
17.
ChetritSS (2009) Intra-Jewish Conflict in Israel: White Jews, Black Jews. London: Routledge.
18.
CohenY (2009) Migration Patterns to and from Israel. Contemporary Jewry29 (2): 115–125.
19.
CoppedgeMichaelGerringJohnLindbergStaffan I., et al. (2017). “V-Dem Codebook v7.1” Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project.
20.
DancygierRSaundersEN (2006) A New Electorate? Comparing Preferences and Partisanship between Immigrants and Natives. American Journal of Political Science50 (4): 962–981.
21.
DellaPergolaS (2000) The global context of migration to Israel. In: ElazarDJWeinfeldM (eds) Still Moving. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, pp.x–xx.
22.
DellaPergolaS (2011) When scholarship disturbs narrative: Ian Lustick on Israel’s migration balance. Israel Studies Review26 (2): 1–20.
23.
DevosTSpiniDSchwartzSH (2002) Conflicts among Human Values and Trust in Institutions. British Journal of Social Psychology41 (4): 481–494.
24.
DinesenPT (2012) Does Generalized (Dis)Trust Travel? Examining the Impact of Cultural Heritage and Destination-Country Environment on Trust of Immigrants: Does Generalized (Dis)Trust Travel?Political Psychology33 (4): 495–511.
25.
DinesenPT (2013) Where You Come From or Where You Live? Examining the Cultural and Institutional Explanation of Generalized Trust Using Migration as a Natural Experiment. European Sociological Review29 (1): 114–128.
26.
DinesenPTHoogheM (2010) When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do: The Acculturation of Generalized Trust among Immigrants in Western Europe. The International Migration Review44 (3): 697–727.
FismanRMiguelE (2007) Corruption, Norms, and Legal Enforcement: Evidence from Diplomatic Parking Tickets. Journal of Political Economy115 (6): 1020–1048.
29.
FlanaganCACampbellBBotchevaL, et al. (2003) Social Class and Adolescents’ Beliefs about Justice in Different Social Orders. Journal of Social Issues59 (4): 711–732.
30.
FragaLRSeguraGM (2006) Culture Clash? Contesting Notions of American Identity and the Effects of Latin American Immigration. Perspectives on Politics4 (2): 279–287.
31.
GarcíaAIL (2018) Economic Remittances, Temporary Migration and Voter Turnout in Mexico. Migration Studies6 (1): 20–52.
32.
Garcia-RiosSPedrazaFWilcox-ArchuletaB (2019) Direct and Indirect Xenophobic Attacks: Unpacking Portfolios of Identity. Political Behavior41 (3): 633–656.
33.
GermanoR (2013) Migrants’ Remittances and Economic Voting in the Mexican Countryside. Electoral Studies32 (4): 875–885.
34.
GibbonsFXGerrardM (1991) Downward Comparison and Coping with Threat. In: SulsJWillsTA (eds) Social Comparison: Contemporary Theory and Research. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp.317–345.
35.
GibbonsFXMcCoySB (1991) Self-Esteem, Similarity, and Reactions to Active Versus Passive Downward Comparison. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology60 (3): 414.
36.
GilbertDTGieslerRBMorrisKA (1995) When Comparisons Arise. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology69 (2): 227.
37.
HacohenD (2001) Mass Immigration and the Demographic Revolution in Israel. Israel Affairs8 (1–2): 177–190.
38.
HainmuellerJHiscoxMJ (2010) Attitudes toward Highly Skilled and Low-Skilled Immigration: Evidence from a Survey Experiment. American Political Science Review104 (1): 61–84.
39.
HainmuellerJHangartnerDPietrantuonoG (2015) Naturalization Fosters the Long-Term Political Integration of Immigrants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences112 (41): 12651–12656.
40.
HetheringtonMJ (1998) The Political Relevance of Political Trust. The American Political Science Review92 (4): 791–808.
41.
HopkinsDJ (2010) Politicized Places: Explaining Where and When Immigrants Provoke Local Opposition. American Political Science Review104 (1): 40–60.
42.
ItzigsohnJ (2000) Immigration and the Boundaries of Citizenship: The Institutions of Immigrants’ Political Transnationalism. International Migration Review34 (4): 1126–1154.
43.
JenningsMK (2002) Generation Units and the Student Protest Movement in the United States: An Intra- and Intergenerational Analysis. Political Psychology23 (2): 303–324.
44.
Jones-CorreaM (1998) Between Two Nations: The Political Predicament of Latinos in New York City. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
45.
JunnJMasuokaN (2008) Asian American Identity: Shared Racial Status and Political Context. Perspectives on Politics6 (4): 729–740.
46.
KastroESchifrisG (2013) Immigration absorption survey in Israel 2010-11. Presentation of the Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel. Available at: www.cbs.gov.il
47.
KeeleL (2007) Social Capital and the Dynamics of Trust in Government. American Journal of Political Science51 (2): 241–254.
48.
LafleurJ-M (2013) Transnational Politics and the State: The External Voting Rights of Diasporas. London: Routledge.
49.
LeeT (2008) Race, Immigration, and the Identity-To Link. Annual Review of Political Science11 (1): 457–478.
50.
LernerRMSteinbergLD (eds) (2004) Handbook of Adolescent Psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
51.
LeviMStokerL (2000) Political Trust and Trustworthiness. Annual Review of Political Science3 (1): 475–507.
52.
McGaughJL (2000) Memory—A Century of Consolidation. Science287 (5451): 248–251.
53.
MaxwellR (2010a) Evaluating Migrant Integration: Political Attitudes across Generations in Europe. International Migration Review44 (1): 25–52.
54.
MaxwellR (2010b) Trust in Government Among British Muslims: The Importance of Migration Status. Political Behavior32 (1): 89–109.
55.
MaxwellR (2013) The Geographic Context of Political Attitudes among Migrant-Origin Individuals in Europe. World Politics65 (1): 116–155.
56.
MenjívarCBejaranoC (2004) Latino Immigrants’ Perceptions of Crime and Police Authorities in the United States: A Case Study from the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Ethnic and Racial Studies27 (1): 120–148.
57.
MerelmanRM (1986) Revitalizing Political Socialization. In: HermannMG (ed.) Political Psychology. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, pp.279–319.
58.
MullinixKJNorrisRJ (2018) Pulled-Over Rates, Causal Attributions, and Trust in Police. Political Research Quarterly17: 420–434.
59.
NannestadP (2008) What Have We Learned About Generalized Trust, If Anything?Annual Review of Political Science11 (1): 413–436.
60.
NannestadPSvendsenGTDinesenPT, et al. (2014) Do Institutions or Culture Determine the Level of Social Trust? The Natural Experiment of Migration from Non-western to Western Countries. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies40 (4): 544–565.
61.
NewmanBJ (2013) Acculturating Contexts and Anglo Opposition to Immigration in the United States. American Journal of Political Science57 (2): 374–390.
62.
NewmanBJVelezY (2014) Group Size Versus Change? Assessing Americans’ Perception of Local Immigration. Political Research Quarterly67 (2): 293–303.
63.
Norwegian Social Science Data Services (2002) European Social Survey Round 1 (2002); Round 2 (2004); ESS Round 3 (2006); ESS Round 4 (2008); Round 5 Data (2010) File Edition 3.0.; Round 6 Data 2012 File Edition 1.2.; Round 7 Data (2014); Round 8 Data (2016). Bergen: Norwegian Social Science Data Services.
64.
NunnNWantchekonL (2011) The Slave Trade and the Origins of Mistrust in Africa. American Economic Review101 (7): 3221–3252.
65.
PemsteinDMarquardtKLTzelgov, et al. (2017). The v-dem measurement model: Latent variable analysis for cross-national and cross-temporal expertcoded data. Working Paper No. 21, 2nd edition. University of Gothenburg, Varieties of Democracy Institute.
66.
PérezEO (2010) Explicit Evidence on the Import of Implicit Attitudes: The IAT and Immigration Policy Judgments. Political Behavior32 (4): 517–545.
67.
PomerantzEMChaikenSTordesillasRS (1996) Attitude Strength and Resistance Processes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology69 (3): 408.
PutnamRD (2000) Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital. In: CrothersLLockhartC (eds) Culture and Politics. London: Springer, pp.223–234.
70.
PutnamRDLeonardiRNanettiRY (1994) Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
71.
RemennickL (2003) The 1.5 Generation of Russian Immigrants in Israel: Between Integration and Sociocultural Retention. Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies12 (1): 39–66.
72.
RemennickL (2012) Intergenerational Transfer in Russian-Israeli Immigrant Families: Parental Social Mobility and Children’s Integration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies38 (10): 1533–1550.
73.
RöderAMühlauP (2012a) Low Expectations or Different Evaluations: What Explains Immigrants’ High Levels of Trust in Host-Country Institutions?Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies38 (5): 777–792.
74.
RöderAMühlauP (2012b) What Determines the Trust of Immigrants in Criminal Justice Institutions in Europe?European Journal of Criminology9 (4): 370–387.
75.
RothsteinBStolleD (2008). The State and Social Capital: An Institutional Theory of Generalized Trust. Comparative Politics40: 441–459.
76.
RothsteinBUslanerEM (2005) All for All: Equality, Corruption, and Social Trust. World Politics58 (1): 41–72.
77.
ShuvalJT (1998) Migration to Israel: The Mythology of “Uniqueness.”International Migration36 (1): 3–26.
78.
SønderskovKMDinesenPT (2016) Trusting the State, Trusting Each Other? The Effect of Institutional Trust on Social Trust. Political Behavior38 (1): 179–202.
79.
SossJ (1999) Lessons of Welfare: Policy Design, Political Learning, and Political Action. American Political Science Review93 (2): 363–380.
80.
StewartAJHealyJM (1989) Linking Individual Development and Social Changes. American Psychologist44 (1): 30.
81.
TurcuAUrbatschR (2015) Diffusion of Diaspora Enfranchisement Norms: A Multinational Study. Comparative Political Studies48 (4): 407–437.
82.
United Nations (2017) International Migration Report 2017 (Technical Report ST/ESA/SER.A/403). London: Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division.
83.
UslanerEM (2008) Where You Stand Depends Upon Where Your Grandparents Sat. The Inheritability of Generalized Trust. Public Opinion Quarterly72 (4): 725–740.
84.
WenzelJP (2006) Acculturation Effects on Trust in National and Local Government Among Mexican Americans. Social Science Quarterly87 (5): 1073–1087.
85.
WhiteSNevitteNBlaisA, et al. (2008) The Political Resocialization of Immigrants: Resistance or Lifelong Learning?Political Research Quarterly61 (2): 268–281.
86.
WrightMLevyMCitrinJ (2016) Public Attitudes Toward Immigration Policy Across the Legal/Illegal Divide: The Role of Categorical and Attribute-Based Decision-Making. Political Behavior38 (1): 229–253.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
