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‘They Take Our Healthcare:’ Health and Attitudes towards Immigration in Europe
Brief about:
Journal Article (2025)
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Investigates the relationship between health status and anti-immigrant attitudes in Europe, emphasizing how poor health influences perceptions of competition for healthcare services with immigrants.
In Europe, anti-immigrant sentiments have been fueled by narratives suggesting that immigrants strain public services, particularly healthcare. This rhetoric has been a tool for right-wing populists to gain electoral support by arguing that immigrants threaten natives’ access to scarce healthcare resources. Historical examples, such as the 1972 City of Leicester ad discouraging Ugandan migration due to overstretched services, illustrate the long-standing nature of these concerns. During the COVID-19 pandemic, xenophobic narratives further sought to limit immigrants’ access to healthcare. Despite the political focus on healthcare access, scholarly attention to health as a factor in anti-immigrant attitudes has been limited. Previous research has explored economic competition and welfare chauvinism as drivers of anti-immigrant sentiment, but the role of health remains underexplored. This study seeks to fill this gap by examining how poor health can exacerbate fears of losing access to healthcare, leading to hostility towards immigrants. The research utilizes data from the European Social Survey, covering 222,989 respondents across 30 European countries from 2002 to 2023, to explore the association between self-rated health and anti-immigrant attitudes, mediated by beliefs about immigrants draining public services, diminished interpersonal trust, and distrust in political institutions.
Key findings
- Poor health is significantly associated with heightened anti-immigrant attitudes in Europe.Evidence
Analysis of 222,989 respondents from the European Social Survey (2002-2023) reveals that individuals reporting very bad health are, on average, 7 points more worried about immigration than those in very good health, with a linear trend observed across health categories.
What it meansThis suggests that individuals in poor health may perceive immigrants as a threat to their access to healthcare services, intensifying anti-immigrant sentiments.
- The perceived prevalence of ethnic minorities amplifies the effect of poor health on anti-immigrant attitudes.Evidence
In areas with a high perceived share of racial/ethnic minorities, individuals in very bad health score 56.3 on the worried about immigration scale, compared to 51.4 in areas with a low perceived share, indicating significant differences.
What it meansThis highlights how local demographic perceptions can exacerbate fears of competition for healthcare resources among those in poor health.
- Beliefs that immigrants drain public services partially mediate the relationship between poor health and anti-immigrant attitudes.Evidence
The standardized indirect effect mediated by this belief is 0.022, accounting for 24.4% of the total effect, as shown in structural equation modeling.
What it meansThis pathway underscores the role of perceived resource competition in shaping anti-immigrant attitudes among individuals with poor health.
- Diminished interpersonal trust is a mediator in the association between poor health and anti-immigrant attitudes.Evidence
The standardized indirect effect through diminished trust is 0.009, mediating 10% of the total effect, indicating that lower trust levels contribute to heightened immigration concerns.
What it meansReduced social trust among those in poor health may limit positive inter-ethnic interactions, fostering hostility towards immigrants.
- Distrust in political institutions also mediates the relationship between poor health and anti-immigrant attitudes.Evidence
The standardized indirect effect through political distrust is 0.02, mediating 22.2% of the total effect, suggesting that systemic distrust exacerbates fears of losing healthcare access.
What it meansThis pathway highlights how political disillusionment among those in poor health can translate into anti-immigrant sentiments.
Proposed action
- Improve the quality of public health services.
- Reduce socioeconomic insecurity.
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‘They Take Our Healthcare:’ Health and Attitudes towards Immigration in Europe
Cite this brief: Scheiring, Gabor. '‘They Take Our Healthcare:’ Health and Attitudes towards Immigration in Europe'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/they-take-our-healthcare-health-and-attitudes-towards-immigration-in-europe/
Brief created by: Professor Gabor Scheiring | Year brief made: 2025
Original research:
- Jeannet, A.-M., Scheiring, G., & Stuckler, D., ‘They Take Our Healthcare:’ Health and Attitudes towards Immigration in Europe’ https://doi.org/10.1177/00104140251342932. – https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00104140251342932
Research brief:
Investigates the relationship between health status and anti-immigrant attitudes in Europe, emphasizing how poor health influences perceptions of competition for healthcare services with immigrants.
In Europe, anti-immigrant sentiments have been fueled by narratives suggesting that immigrants strain public services, particularly healthcare. This rhetoric has been a tool for right-wing populists to gain electoral support by arguing that immigrants threaten natives’ access to scarce healthcare resources. Historical examples, such as the 1972 City of Leicester ad discouraging Ugandan migration due to overstretched services, illustrate the long-standing nature of these concerns. During the COVID-19 pandemic, xenophobic narratives further sought to limit immigrants’ access to healthcare. Despite the political focus on healthcare access, scholarly attention to health as a factor in anti-immigrant attitudes has been limited. Previous research has explored economic competition and welfare chauvinism as drivers of anti-immigrant sentiment, but the role of health remains underexplored. This study seeks to fill this gap by examining how poor health can exacerbate fears of losing access to healthcare, leading to hostility towards immigrants. The research utilizes data from the European Social Survey, covering 222,989 respondents across 30 European countries from 2002 to 2023, to explore the association between self-rated health and anti-immigrant attitudes, mediated by beliefs about immigrants draining public services, diminished interpersonal trust, and distrust in political institutions.
Findings:
Poor health is significantly associated with heightened anti-immigrant attitudes in Europe.
Analysis of 222,989 respondents from the European Social Survey (2002-2023) reveals that individuals reporting very bad health are, on average, 7 points more worried about immigration than those in very good health, with a linear trend observed across health categories.
This suggests that individuals in poor health may perceive immigrants as a threat to their access to healthcare services, intensifying anti-immigrant sentiments.
The perceived prevalence of ethnic minorities amplifies the effect of poor health on anti-immigrant attitudes.
In areas with a high perceived share of racial/ethnic minorities, individuals in very bad health score 56.3 on the worried about immigration scale, compared to 51.4 in areas with a low perceived share, indicating significant differences.
This highlights how local demographic perceptions can exacerbate fears of competition for healthcare resources among those in poor health.
Beliefs that immigrants drain public services partially mediate the relationship between poor health and anti-immigrant attitudes.
The standardized indirect effect mediated by this belief is 0.022, accounting for 24.4% of the total effect, as shown in structural equation modeling.
This pathway underscores the role of perceived resource competition in shaping anti-immigrant attitudes among individuals with poor health.
Diminished interpersonal trust is a mediator in the association between poor health and anti-immigrant attitudes.
The standardized indirect effect through diminished trust is 0.009, mediating 10% of the total effect, indicating that lower trust levels contribute to heightened immigration concerns.
Reduced social trust among those in poor health may limit positive inter-ethnic interactions, fostering hostility towards immigrants.
Distrust in political institutions also mediates the relationship between poor health and anti-immigrant attitudes.
The standardized indirect effect through political distrust is 0.02, mediating 22.2% of the total effect, suggesting that systemic distrust exacerbates fears of losing healthcare access.
This pathway highlights how political disillusionment among those in poor health can translate into anti-immigrant sentiments.
Advice:
Improve the quality of public health services.
Reduce socioeconomic insecurity.