Low levels of education are a powerful predictor of anti-immigration
sentiment. However, there is little consensus on the interpretation
of this correlation: is it causal or is it an artifact of selection
bias? We address this question by exploiting six major compulsory
schooling reforms in five Western European countries—Denmark,
France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Sweden—that have
recently experienced politically influential anti-immigration
movements. On average, we find that compelling students to remain in
secondary school for at least an additional year decreases
anti-immigration attitudes later in life. Instrumental variable
estimates demonstrate that, among such compliers, an additional year
of secondary schooling substantially reduces the probability of
opposing immigration, believing that immigration erodes a country’s
quality of life, and feeling close to far-right anti-immigration
parties. These results suggest that rising post-war educational
attainment has mitigated the rise of anti-immigration movements. We
discuss the mechanisms and implications for future research
examining anti-immigration sentiment.
The Media and the Far Right in Western Europe. Playing the Nationalist Card
