Democracy-Migration Paradox: Anti-Immigrant Attitudes and Commitment to Democracy

The emerging paradox between widespread support for liberal democracy and rising anti-immigrant attitudes across Europe and the Middle East presents a critical challenge to democratic governance. This contradiction threatens core democratic values, as societies that advocate equal rights simultaneously adopt exclusionary attitudes. The Democracy-Migration Paradox (DEMIG) project investigates this complex relationship, exploring how negative attitudes toward immigrants can coexist with, and potentially undermine, democratic principles.DEMIG’s strength lies in its integration of frontier theoretical research and cutting-edge methodological innovation. Theoretically, DEMIG examines how anti-immigrant attitudes intersect with democratic values, exploring whether exclusionary attitudes lead to selective adherence to democratic principles, where citizens uphold ideals in theory but resist applying them to specific groups. This sheds light on the tension between democratic ideals and exclusionary practices, offering deeper insights into the ongoing crisis of democracy.Methodologically, DEMIG distinguishes itself through AI-assisted survey techniques and longitudinal surveys with embedded experiments to measure attitudes toward immigrants and democracy across diverse contexts. DEMIG will develop an AI model that generates precise, bias-resistant survey questions, advancing survey implementation and an experimental panel study. By minimizing social desirability bias and improving survey quality, DEMIG sets new standards in survey research, providing accurate measurements of how immigrant attitudes interact with democratic attachment.Insights from DEMIG will help policymakers craft inclusive migration policies, while its methodological breakthroughs will provide lasting resources for future research on migration and democracy. By advancing new approaches and addressing an urgent issue, DEMIG will make a transformative impact in both political science and survey methods.