Does the Internet Change Attitudes Towards Immigrants? Evidence From Spain

60 Pages Posted: 30 Jun 2020

See all articles by Alessio Romarri

Alessio Romarri

University of Barcelona - Barcelona Institute of Economics (IEB)

Date Written: June 7, 2020

Abstract

In this paper, I empirically evaluate the effect of exposure to the Internet on Spanish attitudes towards immigrants. Exploiting a confidential, innovative survey dataset, I am able to identify a relationship between Internet access and attitudes towards immigrants at the micro (municipal) level. I address the endogeneity of Internet availability by looking at pre-existing voice telecommunication characteristics and using outcome variables before and after the arrival of the Internet. Results show that Internet availability between 2008 and 2012 is associated with a better knowledge of (national) immigration dynamics and that it leads to an overall improvement in attitudes towards immigrants. This result is particularly strong among young and urban individuals. Additionally, I find that access to the Internet reduces political support for the Partido Popular, Spain’s traditional right-wing party.

Keywords: Internet, attitudes, voting

JEL Classification: J15, J17, D15

Suggested Citation

Romarri, Alessio, Does the Internet Change Attitudes Towards Immigrants? Evidence From Spain (June 7, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3621400 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3621400

Alessio Romarri (Contact Author)

University of Barcelona - Barcelona Institute of Economics (IEB) ( email )

c/ John M. Keynes, 1-11
Barcelona, 08034
Spain

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