Bridges and Walls: How Rising Income Inequality Drives Anti-Immigrant Politics and Republican Realignment
Matthew Polacko, Giacomo Di Pasquale, Emma Lofstedt · 2026
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Description
Matthew Polacko, Giacomo Di Pasquale, and Emma Lofstedt ask how income gaps shape views on immigration and voting in the United States. Their 2026 paper starts from two linked trends: rising inequality and growing party divides. They argue that wide income gaps make anti-immigrant feelings count for more at the ballot box.
The team pooled survey data from national election studies covering 1988 to 2020. Where state income gaps were wider, people held harsher views on immigration, most of all when they felt gloomy about their own finances. Anti-immigrant views also lined up more strongly with Republican votes in those states. Inequality, they conclude, acts like an amplifier between grievance and party choice.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Matthew Polacko, Giacomo Di Pasquale, Emma Lofstedt |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 57 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |