Attitudes Towards Venezuelan Migrants Among the Ecuadorian Youth: Challenging the Criminalization of Immigrants

Abstract

What drives anti-immigrant sentiment, and what policies are most effective to counter it? Focusing on adolescents’ attitudes towards Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador, this project provides generalizable insights into the factors associated with anti-migrant attitudes and the policies that can counter migrants’ criminalization. Ecuador is the third-largest receiver of Venezuelan migrants, and these are subject to widespread xenophobia and criminalization. Through Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (CASI) surveys of final year secondary school students, we will investigate the characteristics of adolescents most negative towards migrants and compare the effects of cognitive and affective policy interventions to elicit empathy with Venezuelan immigrants. The project methodology has the potential to be scaled up to provide comparative insights on immigration criminalization in Latin America and beyond. Ultimately, the study will be critical to complement the vast literature on anti-xenophobia policy interventions in Western contexts by advancing insights on migrant stigmatization and integration in the Global South.