What shapes the attitude of the European Parliament voters toward migration? A comparative case study on Finland, Hungary and Bulgaria

Abstract

By using Eurobarometer data (91.5) and by focusing on European Parliament (EP) 2019 Post-Electoral survey, this study compares three EU member states - Finland, Hungary and Bulgaria - where the Facebook posting themes and sentiments of refugees are generally negative. The main aim of this study is to explore the impact of demographic factors internet usage, and factors related to voting behavior on Finnish, Bulgarian and Hungarian voters’ negative attitude towards migration. The empirical findings of this study suggest that Finnish, Bulgarian and Hungarian voters’ attitude toward migration is shaped by their ideas about these countries’ general situation. Besides, issues as immigration, placing oneself on the right of the political spectrum, using internet frequently and low political interest are also important predictors for some of the cases. After a brief discussion on theoretical framework of the subject, explanations about the method and critical analyses are provided. © Emre Eren Korkmaz 2021.