Malthus is still breathing: Environmental concerns and attitudes towards immigration in Europe

Abstract

The paper addresses the environmental concerns European populations appear to have in the face of the recent refugee intake. Using the European Social Survey 2016 dataset, we estimate the effects of those concerns while controlling for both individual and institutional factors. The results suggest that even though safety concerns do explain the largest share of variation in immigration attitudes, environmental concerns exceed those of religion, income, or the experience of living abroad.