A common concern among conservatives is that higher immigration breaks the social fabric of communities, resulting in things like higher crime. A recent study from McGill has revealed that despite a notable surge in the proportion of migrants in a particular country within a span of fewer than ten years, their presence does not lead to an upswing in crime rates.

Nonetheless, erroneous beliefs about migrant-induced criminality persist among the populace. The research sheds light on how immigration significantly impacts public perception of crime, even though it has no bearing on factual crime rates.

“Many people seem to believe a connection exists between crime and immigration. We wanted to explore why this is the case, by looking at the example of Chile, a country recently exposed to a massive influx of immigrants,” the researchers explain.

Changing communities

“In Chile, migrants represented close to 6.5% of the population in 2018. Not only did the magnitude change, but also the composition of immigrants changed strongly in recent years, with the arrival of people from Venezuela and Haiti, a trend is similar to other Latin American countries,” they continue.

The research found that individuals who are more exposed to immigration inflows are inclined to regard crime as their foremost concern. They are more likely to believe that crime is adversely affecting their overall well-being and that they may soon become crime victims.

Despite this, the researchers observed that these citizens were not at a higher risk of falling prey to any criminal activity in the previous months. The municipalities where they resided also did not experience a disproportionate increase in homicides.

Misperceptions rule

Furthermore, the study revealed that these misperceptions not only induced fear among the citizens but also led to tangible actions such as the installation of more security systems or paying for private security. The researchers noted that local media might play a crucial role in amplifying crime-related fears and reactions, particularly in areas with numerous local media outlets.

The research team also probed whether discrimination against particular immigrant groups could be a plausible explanation for the citizens’ apprehensions. Interestingly, the study found that concerns regarding crime were mainly driven by immigrants without ethnically European origins, implying that immigrants with European origins have a different status compared to other immigrant groups.

The study also highlighted that the impact of such concerns on the citizens’ behavior, such as the installation of alarms, was more prominent when immigrants were less educated.

“Immigration is increasingly an important topic in contemporary political debates. And hostility towards immigrants has become a powerful component of far-right politics and extremist groups around the world,” the researchers conclude.

“Our research demonstrates that the concerns of citizens and governments over the potential relationship between immigration and crime in Chile appear to be unfounded, which holds significant implications for policy.”