Abstract Public attitudes toward hosting foreign populations are shaped by a complex interplay of legal status, ethnic-religious background, and geographic proximity. This study examines these dynamics in the Catalan context within Spain, leveraging a randomized survey experiment conducted in late 2022. Respondents were randomly assigned to consider refugees from Ukraine or Syria and economic migrants from Belarus or Jordan, with settlement options either in their local municipality or across Catalonia. The findings reveal a pronounced preference for refugees over economic migrants, particularly for Ukrainians. Notably, we identify a reversal of the classic NIMBY (“Not In My Back Yard”) effect: refugees receive greater support for local settlement than regional reception—an unexpected pattern not previously documented. Cultural and religious proximity also play a decisive role, with Christian and white groups being more favorably received. These effects are further shaped by political ideology: left-leaning respondents express consistently high support, while right-leaning individuals are markedly more selective, particularly toward Muslim-origin groups. This study offers new empirical insight into the conditions under which citizens are more or less welcoming, highlighting patterns of conditional hospitality with direct implications for policy design and integration strategies.
Tormos et al. (Wed,) studied this question.