All Welcome Here? Attitudes towards Muslim Migrants in Europe
| Published date | 01 October 2021 |
| Author | Egle Gusciute,Peter Mühlau,Richard Layte |
| Date | 01 October 2021 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12810 |
International Migration. 2021;59:149–165.
|
149
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/imig
INTRODUCTION
Europe is one of the ma in destinations for intern ational immigrants. In 2017, 78 million immig rants were residing
in Europe: accounting for 30% of all international migrants (UN, 2017). With increasing immigration, European
countries have exp erienced large inflows of imm igrants from Muslim count ries. In 2010, the majority of mi grants
coming to Europe were M uslim (Pew Research Cen ter, 2012). In addition, the rece nt “refugee crisis” has als o added
to the increasing M uslim population, with more than half of all asylum a pplications coming from Syria, Iraq and
Afghanistan (Eurostat, 2019).
Received: 14 Octo ber 2019
|
Revised: 15 Septem ber 2020
|
Accepted: 1 Decem ber 2020
DOI: 10.1111/imig.12810
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
All Welcome Here? Attitudes towards Muslim
Migrants in Europe
Egle Gusciute1,2,3 | Peter Mühlau3| Richard Layte3
© 2020 The Autho rs. Internation al Migration © 2020 IO M
1University C ollege Cork, Cork
2Universit y College Dublin, D ublin
3Trinity College D ublin, Dublin
Abstract
Islam is becoming an increasingly prevalent religion in
Europe due to large inflows of Muslims over the last few
decades. Previous social survey research suggests that
the European public is critical of immigration from Muslim
countries with concerns relating to integration and secu-
rity. Using the 7th round of the European Social Survey
and linking it to other data sources, this paper examines
whether threat hypotheses can explain anti-Muslim senti-
ment in Europe. The st udy finds that opposition to Musl ims
is significantly higher than opposition to migrants in gen-
eral, partic ularly in Eastern and Central Europ e. The threat
hypothesis is not supported on a countr y level as counties
with higher “stock” of Muslim population and higher num-
ber of Islamic terroris t attacks are more welcom ing towards
further Muslim immigration. Furthermore, the study finds
that women are more opp osed to Muslim immigration than
men. The wider impl ications of these findings and alterna-
tive explanations are discussed.
150
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GUSCIUT E ETal.
There is a large and growing body of literature which focuses on attitudes towards migrants (Ceobanu &
Escandell , 2010). However, there are relatively few st udies which focus specifi cally on attitudes toward s Muslim
migrants (but see Doebler, 2014; Heath & Richards, 2020; H elbling, 2012; Strabac & Listhaug , 2008). Existing
studies indicate that attitudes towards Muslim migrants are significantly more negative than attitudes towards
migrants in gen eral (Strabac & Listhau g, 2008).
The aims of this pap er are threefold. Firstl y, we aim to add to the rela tively small, but growing bod y of litera-
ture specifically focusing on Muslim migrants. Secondly, the paper examines whether attitudes towards Muslim
migrants dif fer in comparison wit h migrants of the same et hnicity as, and dif ferent ethnicity to, t he native respon-
dents. Third ly, using data from the European So cial Survey and addition al databases, several hyp otheses derived
from group confli ct theory relate d to realistic threat ar e tested. The rest of th e paper is structu red as follows: first ,
the theoreti cal framework, previous st udies and research hypothes es are presented; second, data a nd methods
used are outlin ed; third results are pres ented and discussed in the f inal sections of the pap er.
MUSLIM MIGRANTS IN EUROPE
With the growing Muslim population, Islam is becoming an increasingly important religion in Europe (Helbling,
2012); in many Western Eur opean countries, it const itutes the second larges t religion after Christi anity (Helbling,
2014). The Pew Research Ce nter (2017) estimate that in 2016, app roximately 5% of the European pop ulation was
Muslim. It is pred icted that the Muslim p opulation share will i ncrease to 8% by 2030 (Pew Res earch Center, 2011a).
Continued imm igration is the primary dri ver of the increase in the share of Musl ims in most European countries ,
with significant increases predicted in Western and Northern Europe (see Figure 1). It is expected that Muslim
populations in E astern and Central Euro pean countries will rema in at less than 1% (Pew Research Cen ter, 2011a).
In addition, the Pew Research Center (2015) estimates that the religious composition in Europe will change
over the coming dec ades, resulting in gr eater religious divers ity. It is predicted that Ch ristianity will de crease from
75% in 2010 to 65% by 2050. While the share of population wit h no religion is expected to increase from 19%
to 23%. The European public is critical of immigration from Muslim countries (Vellenga, 2008). The increasing
presence (and vis ibility) of Muslims in Europe h as led to a variety of debates wh ich portray Muslims as a th reat to
the West (Cesari , 2013; Esposito, 1999). The recent terro rist attacks in Euro pe have intensified these d ebates and
have led to increasin g Islamophobic discourse a nd incidents in Europe (Abd elkader, 2017). As a result, Islam an d
FIGURE 1Muslim Population (%) in Eur ope, 2010 and 2020
Note: The indi genous Muslims which sett led in some of the Central a nd Eastern European count ries, for example
Tatars are outside t he scope of this paper.
SOURCE: PE W RESE ARCH CENTE R (2011A) AND NATIONAL CE NSUSES.
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