Natives are often misinformed about immigrants’ characteristics, underestimating the positive potential labor market impacts of their presence and overestimating the cultural differences between both.We investigate whether nationally televised sports influence natives’ perceptions of immigrants in European countries. Using a triple-difference strategy comparing over- versus under-performing teams, in countries with high versus low share of immigrant-descent players in the national team, before and after a highly salient international sporting event—the 2018 World Cup final stage—we find persistently improved attitudes toward non-EU migrants and higher perceived contributions of immigrants. We also observe a decrease in perceived discrimination reported by ethnic minorities. In contrast, we find no evidence of an increase in proxies for national pride.
Presented by:
Giuseppe Ippedico (University of Nottingham)
Date & time:
December 10, 2025 12:30 pm - December 10, 2025 1:30 pm
Venue:
Online
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