Immigration, priming and policy collaboration: evidence from a Mexico-United States Policy Survey, 2024

We argue that given the polarization patterns, forthcoming policy elites in the United States do moderate their perspectives on immigration when they are acquainted with anti-stereotype representations of concrete human beings positively influenced by binational cooperation. We use data from a surve...

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Main Authors: Alfonso Rojas-Alvarez, Carlos Moreno-Jaimes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Cogent Social Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2534841
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author Alfonso Rojas-Alvarez
Carlos Moreno-Jaimes
author_facet Alfonso Rojas-Alvarez
Carlos Moreno-Jaimes
author_sort Alfonso Rojas-Alvarez
collection DOAJ
description We argue that given the polarization patterns, forthcoming policy elites in the United States do moderate their perspectives on immigration when they are acquainted with anti-stereotype representations of concrete human beings positively influenced by binational cooperation. We use data from a survey conducted by the authors applied to graduate students of policy-related fields in Mexico and the United States. In it, we conducted a randomized experiment (n = 332) to test whether priming respondents through anti-stereotypical narratives effectively decreases their views on immigration. We find that respondents who were shown the priming text significantly changed their responses to questions related to immigration in the United States survey. In contrast, in the Mexico survey, there is no measurable effect in any of the measures. For both surveys, the overall collaboration score is higher in the experimental group than the control group, highlighting a measurable difference in perspectives about binational collaboration after a priming experiment. In a context of disagreements between the two countries about the policy measures that should be adopted to deal with illegal immigration, border security, drug consumption, and other crucial topics, these results inform policymakers in both countries by providing experimental evidence of the effects of priming in an age of polarization.
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spelling doaj-art-db1e192b45294209b32ea5874e86ee3d2025-07-23T14:52:42ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Social Sciences2331-18862025-12-0111110.1080/23311886.2025.2534841Immigration, priming and policy collaboration: evidence from a Mexico-United States Policy Survey, 2024Alfonso Rojas-Alvarez0Carlos Moreno-Jaimes1Department of Public Health, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USASociopolitical and Law Studies Department, ITESO (Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente), Tlaquepaque, MexicoWe argue that given the polarization patterns, forthcoming policy elites in the United States do moderate their perspectives on immigration when they are acquainted with anti-stereotype representations of concrete human beings positively influenced by binational cooperation. We use data from a survey conducted by the authors applied to graduate students of policy-related fields in Mexico and the United States. In it, we conducted a randomized experiment (n = 332) to test whether priming respondents through anti-stereotypical narratives effectively decreases their views on immigration. We find that respondents who were shown the priming text significantly changed their responses to questions related to immigration in the United States survey. In contrast, in the Mexico survey, there is no measurable effect in any of the measures. For both surveys, the overall collaboration score is higher in the experimental group than the control group, highlighting a measurable difference in perspectives about binational collaboration after a priming experiment. In a context of disagreements between the two countries about the policy measures that should be adopted to deal with illegal immigration, border security, drug consumption, and other crucial topics, these results inform policymakers in both countries by providing experimental evidence of the effects of priming in an age of polarization.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2534841PolicyUS-Mexicoimmigrationpolarizationimmigration attitudescross-national experimental work
spellingShingle Alfonso Rojas-Alvarez
Carlos Moreno-Jaimes
Immigration, priming and policy collaboration: evidence from a Mexico-United States Policy Survey, 2024
Cogent Social Sciences
Policy
US-Mexico
immigration
polarization
immigration attitudes
cross-national experimental work
title Immigration, priming and policy collaboration: evidence from a Mexico-United States Policy Survey, 2024
title_full Immigration, priming and policy collaboration: evidence from a Mexico-United States Policy Survey, 2024
title_fullStr Immigration, priming and policy collaboration: evidence from a Mexico-United States Policy Survey, 2024
title_full_unstemmed Immigration, priming and policy collaboration: evidence from a Mexico-United States Policy Survey, 2024
title_short Immigration, priming and policy collaboration: evidence from a Mexico-United States Policy Survey, 2024
title_sort immigration priming and policy collaboration evidence from a mexico united states policy survey 2024
topic Policy
US-Mexico
immigration
polarization
immigration attitudes
cross-national experimental work
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2534841
work_keys_str_mv AT alfonsorojasalvarez immigrationprimingandpolicycollaborationevidencefromamexicounitedstatespolicysurvey2024
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