social and cultural determinants of iranians’ attitudes toward international migrants

With the expansion of migration flows in recent decades, one of the major challenges facing host societies is shaping public attitudes toward international migrants and patterns of interaction with them. this study examines the attitudes of iranian citizens toward international migrants and the factors that influence these attitudes.to this end, we conducted a secondary analysis of data from the seventh wave of the world values survey, implemented in iran in 2020, based on a sample of 1,499 respondents. more recent data on attitudes toward migrants are not collected in any national surveys; therefore, up-to-date information is unavailable, and we relied on the 2020 survey.the findings indicate that 25.5% of respondents hold negative attitudes toward migrants, while 17% express positive attitudes. analyses show that materialist values, social trust, and exposure to mass and digital media are significantly associated with more favorable attitudes toward migrants. conversely, feelings of social insecurity and a high sense of iranian national identity are linked to more negative attitudes. path analysis further reveals that social trust has the strongest effect on the formation of positive attitudes toward migrants.accordingly, strengthening social capital, reducing perceptions of insecurity through public education, and promoting positive narratives about migrants in the media can contribute to improving societal attitudes. this is particularly important given the anticipated rise in migration flows in the coming years. with the expansion of migration flows in recent decades, one of the major challenges facing host societies is shaping public attitudes toward international migrants and patterns of interaction with them. this study examines the attitudes of iranian citizens toward international migrants and the factors that influence these attitudes.to this end, we conducted a secondary analysis of data from the seventh wave of the world values survey, implemented in iran in 2020, based on a sample of 1,499 respondents. more recent data on attitudes toward migrants are not collected in any national surveys; therefore, up-to-date information is unavailable, and we relied on the 2020 survey.the findings indicate that 25.5% of respondents hold negative attitudes toward migrants, while 17% express positive attitudes. analyses show that materialist values, social trust, and exposure to mass and digital media are significantly associated with more favorable attitudes toward migrants. conversely, feelings of social insecurity and a high sense of iranian national identity are linked to more negative attitudes. path analysis further reveals that social trust has the strongest effect on the formation of positive attitudes toward migrants.accordingly, strengthening social capital, reducing perceptions of insecurity through public education, and promoting positive narratives about migrants in the media can contribute to improving societal attitudes. this is particularly important given the anticipated rise in migration flows in the coming years.