Människors inställning till invandring varierar. En ny studie, ”Does Education Affect Attitudes towards Immigration? Evidence from Germany” (preliminär gratisversion här), undersöker effekten av utbildning på sannolikheten för att att en individ uttrycker stark oro för invandring. Resultat:

To estimate the effect of schooling on attitudes towards immigration, the present study uses the staggered implementation of a compulsory schooling reform in West Germany as a source of exogenous variation. Our instrumental variable (IV) estimates indicate that an additional year of schooling reduces the probability of having high concerns about immigration to Germany by around six percentage points (20 percent). We further analyse potential intergenerational effects of maternal education on the offspring’s immigration attitudes. The findings suggest that returns to education are not limited to the person directly affected, but also extend to the next generation. The probability of adult children being very concerned about immigration decreases by almost seven percentage points (27 percent) with an extra year of maternal schooling.

Dvs. det verkar helt klar vara så att mer utbildning minskar sannolikheten för stor oro för invandring, inte bara hos den som utbildas mer utan även hos den personens barn. Forskarna finner indikationer på att mekanismen är högre social tillit hos den som får mer utbildning. (Att social tillit kan fungera som en katalysator för tolerans finner för övrigt även Therese Nilsson och jag i vår studie ”Market Institutions Bring Tolerance, Especially Where There Is Social Trust”.)