Who benefits? Perceptions of which migrant groups benefit the most from the welfare state among ten migrant groups in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany

Abstract

A number of studies show the prevalence of fears among natives that migrants could undermine support for the welfare state. In this article, we turn the focus to migrants’ views of other migrants. Employing data from the Migrants’ Welfare State Attitudes survey, administered among ten migrant groups in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany, we find that migrants, like natives, perceive other migrant groups as benefitting more from the welfare state than they contribute. These attitudes follow a relatively consistent ranking. Migrants from western EU countries were viewed as being least likely to benefit disproportionately, followed by migrants from rich countries outside Europe, those from eastern EU countries and those from poor countries outside Europe. Furthermore, according to our analyses, this order of ranking is explained largely by a combination of socio-economic factors and a sense of belonging to the country of residence and the group of migrants in general.