Mobilities against Prejudice: The Role of Social Transnationalism in Europe in Sentiments towards Immigration from Other EU Member States and from Outside the EU1
Over the decades Europe has received many and diverse flows of people from around the world. Migrants coming from outside the EU along intra-European migrants have changed the landscape of migrations with their diverse mobility projects. At the same time European citizens residing in their countries of origin are mobile in multiple ways when they engage in travel and consumption across the borders or they connect to family and friends based in other countries. In this chapter I will argue that while European citizens themselves have become more mobile engaging in cross-border exchanges and interactions, these processes have also brought about the change in their thinking about mobility of others who migrate from other EU Member States and beyond. Using the Eurobarometer data I illustrate how attitudes towards intra- and extra-European migration differ, with largely positive sentiments towards migrants coming from within the EU and predominantly negative attitudes towards migrants from outside the EU. However, determinants of these attitudes remain similar, irrespectively if they are directed at European movers or third country nationals. Among examined determinants of sentiments, engagement in cross-border practices seems to coincide with more positive opinions about migration.