When (and where) do pandemics foster anti-migrant actions? Individual-, contextual- and societal-level drivers affecting social cohesion during the COVID-19 pandemic

Research on anti-migrant actions has produced conflicting results, which we aimed to better understand through a multi-level and context-sensitive approach. Specifically, we investigated individual- (social dominance orientation; SDO), group- (identification), contextual- (attribution of migrants’ responsibility for the pandemic), and societal-level (Migrant Integration Policy Index and Democracy Index) correlates of anti-migrant collective action. Multi-level analyses from 21 countries (N = 4493) revealed that SDO correlated positively with identification with anti-migrant movements. However, believing that the pandemic emerged due to migration (contextual-level variable) and inclusive migration policies (societal-level variable) moderated the link between SDO and willingness to join anti-migrant actions. Those high on SDO who also believed the pandemic was due to migration were the most willing to pursue anti-migrant activities. Finally, SDO predicted anti-migrant collective actions, but only in countries with inclusive migration policies. These results uncover the contextual- and societal-level factors that exacerbate the relationship between SDO and anti-migrant actions.