Feeding the beast: The role of disinformation in shaping immigration policy preferences

Abstract

Inaccurate information about migrants and migration policies has increasingly circulated in the form of disinformation and misinformation, particularly in political contexts where migration is a salient issue. The current study examines the impact of migration-related misperceptions on the endorsement of restrictive immigration policies by focusing on misperceptions resulting from exposure to dis- and misinformation about policies governing the rights and obligations of migrants. By utilizing representative survey data from Turkey and adopting a Structural Equation Model approach, the current study demonstrates that the propensity of group relative deprivation to translate into restrictive policy preferences significantly increases when natives misperceive the immigration policy context as being more inclusive than it truly is. Findings reveal that natives who hold inflated perceptions about the inclusivity of migration policies are more likely to support restrictive migration policies, despite holding similar levels of threat perceptions and feelings of group relative deprivation as their correctly informed counterparts. The findings underscore that disinformation about migration policies amplifies the impact of natives' senses of violated entitlements on their immigration policy preferences. As such, they also hold broader implications for the public reception of multicultural policies.