Dark perspectives on migrant deservingness: the intersection of Dark Triad personality traits and the CARIN criteria / Perspectivas oscuras sobre el merecimiento de los migrantes: la intersección de los rasgos de la tríada oscura de la personalidad y los criterios CARIN

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a shift in approaches to gauging attitudes towards migrants and diversity, aiming to better capture the increasing heterogeneity within migrant populations. Unlike earlier methods that treated migrants as a uniform group, the focus has now shifted to approaches that take into account the growing diversity of migrant populations, such as the framework of migrant deservingness. This framework employs five criteria — Control, Attitude, Identity, Reciprocity and Need — to assess public perceptions. In this study, these preferences were linked with the Dark Triad personality traits — narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy. While extensively utilized in recent psychological literature, the Dark Triad has seen limited application in explaining views on diversity or migration. Nonetheless, it can provide valuable new insights as to why some individuals prefer some migrant groups over others. I draw on data from a web survey conducted among the adult population in June 2021 in seven European countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Sweden). Using structural equation modelling, I found that while narcissistic individuals prioritize migrants’ potential contributions to society over their migration motives, Machiavellians exhibit a pragmatic recognition of migrants’ humanitarian needs and psychopaths display a broad indifference towards migrants’ circumstances. These findings shed light on the nuanced relationship between Dark Triad traits and public perceptions of migrant deservingness, highlighting the importance of personality in shaping attitudes towards migrant populations.