Shocking Study Reveals Link Between Economic Struggles And Anti-Immigrant Extremism

A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology reveals a strong link between economic hardship and rising anti-immigrant sentiment. Researchers found that people facing financial stress or perceiving social decline are more likely to feel a sense of societal breakdown, known as 'anomie'. This mindset significantly increases belief in anti-immigrant conspiracy theories, especially against non-European groups, and fuels support for discriminatory policies, protests, and even violence.

Through six experiments, the study demonstrates how economic struggles and feelings of instability combine to foster conspiracy narratives that wrongly blame immigrants for a country's problems, particularly in contexts like the UK where immigration is a politically charged issue.

"This project emerged from a partnership with Social Justice Ireland, an independent think tank," explained Daniel Jolley, an associate professor at the University of Nottingham. "In both Ireland and the United Kingdom, attacks on non-European immigrants were becoming more frequent. We wanted to understand the deeper psychological drivers of this hostility, going beyond surface-level attitudes. Through a collaborative process, we investigated how economic hardship and feelings of societal breakdown (anomie) might fuel conspiracy beliefs about immigrants - and how these beliefs can escalate into violent intentions."

Across six studies involving UK and Irish participants, researchers explored links between economic hardship, anomie (social instability), and anti-immigrant attitudes. Economic struggles, both real and perceived, were tied to higher anomie, which predicted belief in conspiracy theories about immigrants. 

These beliefs, in turn, correlated with support for discriminatory policies, protests, and even violence. Experimental studies confirmed these patterns by simulating low versus high economic status and exposing participants to conspiracy narratives. Those in low-wealth conditions, especially when shown anti-immigrant conspiracies, were more likely to adopt hostile views and support harmful actions. The findings were consistent across national contexts and study designs.

"Across six studies, we found clear evidence that economic hardship may erode social cohesion and foster conspiracy beliefs about non-European immigrants," Jolley told PsyPost. "These beliefs, in turn, are linked to anti-immigrant attitudes and even violent intentions. Crucially, the results suggest that tackling xenophobia isn't just about addressing attitudes directly - it's also about addressing the root causes, such as poverty and feelings that society is breaking down."

"A major strength of this research is its diversity of methods - we measured hardship directly, sampled people from both high- and low-deprivation areas, and even experimentally manipulated perceptions of hardship. Across all approaches, we saw the same pattern. The most striking and concerning finding was that exposure to conspiratorial narratives about immigrants - combined with economic hardship - could directly increase violent intent. This link between conspiracy exposure and violence has rarely been shown so clearly."