Attitudes towards immigrants in European contexts. Social origins or generational influence?

How do inter- and intra-generational perspectives influence attitudes towards immigrants? Demographic studies have uncovered the roles played by parental (inter) socio-economic background and by birth cohort (intra) in shaping prejudicial or tolerant attitudes towards immigrants, but these roles have not been examined together. In this study, we do so using data from the European Social Survey, rounds 1–10 (2002–2020). In particular, we rely on the question “Is [the country] made a worse or a better place to live by people coming to live here from other countries?” to examine the influence of parental socio-economic background (class and education) on respondents’ attitudes towards migrants. Moreover, we study whether this influence varies by birth cohort. Results of linear regression models including country-year fixed effects indicate that while individuals born in recent cohorts are more pro-immigrant, the influence of parental socio-economic background has amplified in these same birth cohorts.