This International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) report draws on recent scholarly advances to better specify what narratives are and to explain variation in their popularity before considering how their effects on immigration policy preferences varies.
The study then considers the popularity of eight simple migration narratives — four positive, four negative — in eight countries across the Euro-Mediterranean region today using recent World Values Survey data. Finally, the extent to which belief in each of these narratives affects one’s preferred immigration policy is tested.