The Immigrant Next Door
Leonardo Bursztyn, Thomas Chaney, Tarek A. Hassan, Aakaash Rao
American Economic Review · 2024 · Volume 114 · Issue 2
Abstract
We study how decades-long exposure to individuals of a given foreign descent shapes natives' attitudes and behavior toward that group. Using individualized donations data, we show that long-term exposure to a given foreign ancestry leads to more generous behavior specifically toward that group's ancestral country. Focusing on exposure to Arab Muslims to examine mechanisms, we show that long-term exposure (i) decreases explicit and implicit prejudice against Arab Muslims, (ii) reduces support for policies and political candidates hostile toward Arab Muslims, (iii) increases charitable donations to Arab countries, (iv) leads to more personal contact with Arab Muslims, and (v) increases knowledge of Arab Muslims and Islam.
Keywords
Altruism, Philanthropy, Intergenerational Transfers, Search, Learning, Information and Knowledge, Communication, Belief, Unawareness, Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making, Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants, Non-labor Discrimination
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