Migrants, religion, and politics: an imperfect combination. The strange case of the Italians in times of migration

Abstract

How do Italians perceive immigrants? Over the last twenty years, the issue of immigration has become increasingly relevant. With the intensification of landings, the issue connected to immigration has become an element of conflict and confrontation both in civil society and in politics. Among the various determinants that explain the attitude towards immigration, religion appears to play a very important role in orienting public opinion. Using some information collected by the European Values ​​survey in the last five years (2016-2018) it emerges that after the 2015 migration peak, Catholics tend to be less positive about immigrants and perceive them as a problem for their culture in general. Over time, the action of the Catholic Church and the effects it has produced on those who participate in religious life have attenuated this negative attitude.