Personal perceptions and political affiliation shaping immigration attitudes in times of fiscal austerity: The case of Greece

Increased influxes of immigrants and the financial crisis constitute a complex imbalance framework in Greece with multiple effects on the national social level. The article focuses on the ways the Greek population perceives immigrants as they are reflected in European attitudes surveys, the European Social Survey (ESS) and the Eurobarometer before and after the experience of the economic crisis.

The analysis includes the following thematic units: a) personal perceptions (social trust, institutional trust, subjective well-being, human values), b) political views (political interest, participation in elections, political ideology, political party identification). The above thematic issues are examined over time (2002-2011) with an emphasis on time differentiations before and after the economic crisis in relation to the attitudes of Greeks towards immigrants (attitudes towards immigration policy, attitudes towards the socio-economic impact of immigrants).

The discussion attempts to interpret the analyzes through the Realistic Group Conflict Theory. Concerns are raised about inter-group conflicts during periods of limitation of available resources as well as proposals for future research.