The Ties that Bind also Divide: The 'Dark Side' of EU Support

Public opinion in favor of more openness, regional integration, and globalization is frequently associated with pro-migration views. This research examines this in a European context and demonstrates evidence for a \negative externality" stemming from attitudes that evaluate EU rules and procedures favorably: while such citizen opinion may certainly be helpful for, e.g., the European integration project, it can also foster in-group vs. out-group dynamics. Our empirical analysis based on data at both the macro (country) and the micro (individual) level confirms this theoretical expectation: macro-level public opinion and individuals evaluating more favorably EU institutions relative to national ones support less strongly more migration from outside of Europe. This finding significantly contributes to our understanding of how people's views of migration are formed, and it sheds new light on the consequences of regional integration projects such as the EU, where normatively negative implications have been neglected for too long.