Democratic Discrepancy: Immigrants and Politics in Europe

As European democracies grapple with rising affective polarisation, the integration of migrants from authoritarian regimes adds a new dimension to debates on democratic commitment. Are these new migrants more or less likely to support democracy in their host countries? We address this question by analysing first generation migrants in 17 European host countries using pooled data from six European Social Surveys (ESS R5-10). We investigate the impacts of democratic discrepancy (difference between democratic scores in host and home countries) - derived using the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) dataset – and democratic and/or authoritarian socialisations on ESS migrants’ democratic commitment. Contrary to concerns, our findings show little support for migrants from authoritarian regimes having a weaker a democratic commitment, or for migrants who have been socialised in a more democratic country having a stronger democratic commitment. We do find support for socialisation within the EU creating stronger democratic commitments among migrants from authoritarian regimes. These results have implications for understanding the drivers of democratic commitment in diverse societies and suggest that the context of migration—especially EU integration—can foster democratic support, even among migrants with authoritarian pasts. In an era of heightened affective polarisation, these findings offer insights into strengthening democratic stability through inclusive integration policies.