Scottish Attitudes about Immigration: Creating Political Opportunity from Public Ambivalence

How have contemporary Scottish political elites achieved consensus about the desirability of immigration? What encourages Scottish politicians to perceive migration as an asset and opportunity at a time when much of Europe and the UK government views it as a liability? Does the public agree with elite perspectives? What opportunities does the Scottish model reveal for those seeking to transform the politics of migration in other contexts? This book project associated with this paper argues that the Scottish elites use immigration policy platforms as a strategic political tool for regional differentiation, propped up by the argument that that Scotland's distinct cultural, economic, and political interests are served through the promotion of a sub-state Scottish immigration policy. This paper uses Scottish public opinion data to examine the determinants associated with individual preferences for and attitudes about migration, and compares it to other British and European contexts. It reveals that the political machinations of the elites may be built on a shaky foundation of public sentiment, and discusses why, when the Scottish public isn’t much more enthusiastic about immigration than the English public, the issue has avoided politicization among the public.