DiscoverPolitics on the CouchChanging minds about immigration
Changing minds about immigration

Changing minds about immigration

Update: 2025-11-09
Share

Description

Rafael Behr talks to Dr. Tessa Buchanan, a former civil servant and now an academic at Cambridge’s Political Psychology Lab, about the psychology behind changing how some voters think about outsiders or immigrants, revealing why she believes attitudes aren’t always as fixed or hostile as they may seem.


From the media’s obsession with “small boats” to conflicting anxieties about national identity, Rafael and Tessa discuss how easy is it to move public opinion, and so public policy, on a topic that has dominated political debate in the UK, EU and US for almost a decade.


Links to topics mentioned in the podcast


How an authoritarianism-compatible text changes British attitudes towards EU immigration

Study from Cambridge University Political Psychology Lab


2019 YouGov survey looking at EU immigration


2024 US survey pre-Presidential election


Cambridge University Political Psychology Lab


Podcasts mentioned


Rafael Behr and Karen Stenner


https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/theauthoritatianpersonalitywithkarenstenner


Rafael Behr and Dr Lee de-Wit


https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/theleftstroublewithconnectingwithsocialonservatives




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comments 
loading
In Channel
'Bonus Couch Chat'

'Bonus Couch Chat'

2023-09-2943:43

'Beyond the Red Wall'

'Beyond the Red Wall'

2023-07-2001:05:37

loading
00:00
00:00
1.0x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Changing minds about immigration

Changing minds about immigration