The Nativist Scapegoating of Migrants and Refugees

In the U.S., Europe and many areas of the world, nativist groups have scapegoated migrants and refugees for problems that are more due to economic forces that negatively affect both nativists and migrants.

During times of economic inequality, when an increasingly small segment of the population are gaining rewards from the economy, those who are left behind from the economic rewards feel greater economic anxiety and perceive cultural decline. These economic and cultural anxieties often lead these groups towards nativist sentiments against migrants and refugees, as well as bigoted sentiments against vulnerable minority groups.