Racial and gender stereotypes in immigration attitudes: evidence from China

How do racial and gender stereotypes affect immigration attitudes? Studies on this topic have focused primarily on developed rather than developing countries. To close the gap, we explore the phenomenon in China, a developing economy that is evolving from a source of emigration to a destination of immigration with its citizens having little direct experience with immigrants. Via two waves of survey experiments with over 4,000 respondents, we find that gender cues of female immigrants increase public approval of immigration and liberal immigration policies, while racial cues of Black immigrants discourage them. Further analysis reveals that gender bias is likely the product of sociopsychological concerns over cultural threats and that racial bias stems from concerns over public safety. Our findings contribute to the literature on the racial stratification and discrimination of immigrants in the context of developing countries.