With Immigration, Perceptions Matter More Than Reality
Sweden’s experience with immigrants from outside Europe shows the importance of acknowledging both critics and supporters of its policy.
Try the neighborhood restaurants.
Photographer: Erika Gerdemark/Bloomberg
Whatever else it may be about, the debate over immigration is first and foremost about perceptions. The question is not just how many foreigners are in your country, but how many you notice.
In the US, immigration tends to be popular in urban areas with a lot of immigrants. Partly that’s because the economic benefits of immigrants are easy to see when you deal with them a lot, but some of it is also perception. If you are used to seeing many immigrants around, you may not notice or care if the percentage of immigrants in your community rises from 24% to 26%. But if it rises from 0% to 2%, you can bet it will be noticed and debated in your community.