Unpacking the Complexity of Immigrant Attitudes in Canada: Immigrant Age Predicts Attitudes Toward Immigrants

Although older adults are often seen as warm, they also may be viewed as incompetent. These perceptions of incompetence have implications for the context of immigration, whereby older immigrants may be viewed as a burden on the economy and public services and unlikely to integrate into society. The current research examined whether attitudes toward immigrant targets differ as a function of the target's age. Studies 1 (N = 85) and 2 (N = 202) tested this question with Canadian samples and found that older immigrant targets were viewed more negatively than young adult immigrant targets, and that this was explained by the belief that older adult immigrants will have a negative impact on the economy and be a burden on public services (i.e., realistic threat). Moreover, older adult nonimmigrants were also viewed more negatively than young adult nonimmigrants, suggesting this effect may be driven by ageism. These findings demonstrate the complexity of attitudes toward immigrants and suggest that a variety of identities must be considered when studying evaluations of immigrant targets.