Opponents of immigration in Ireland: a threat to the democratic public sphere?

Opposition to immigration in Ireland has visibly increased in recent years. Considerable evidence indicates opponents of immigration are more likely to vote for populist parties and more likely to be disenchanted with the establishment of political parties and democratic institutions. In many Western European countries, opposition to immigration has been the driving force in the rise and electoral success of populist political parties. Using the European Social Survey, this paper explores whether opposition to immigration is associated with lower levels of trust in democratic institutions and weaker attachment to a democratic regime in Ireland. The results indicate that opponents of immigration display significantly lower levels of trust in partisan institutions, such as politicians and political parties, and to a lesser extent in non-partisan institutions, such as the police and legal system. More notably, opponents scored significantly lower on the importance of free and fair elections, a critical media, protection of minorities and living in a democracy. These respondents also displayed significantly stronger authoritarian tendencies, being more likely to accept a strong leader above the law compared to those with more liberal attitudes towards immigrants. Extreme anti-immigrant attitudes thus tend to be associated with an erosion of the democratic public sphere.