New Report Examines How Immigration Narratives Take Hold and Spread

WASHINGTON — International migration has more than tripled worldwide since 1960, with many countries previously unaccustomed to large-scale immigration now hosting sizeable foreign-born populations. As societies respond to social and demographic changes, narratives about immigration, meaning the collective stories that are told about migration and immigrants, are key to understanding public opinion and how policy choices are formed. Yet little is known about how narratives, positive and negative alike, become more powerful in certain contexts and lie dormant in others.