The question of whether immigrants from countries with low levels of political trust bring those attitudes with them to their host societies has long been debated. This column leverages survey data from 38 countries, and exploits variation across countries, cohorts, and survey rounds, to show that immigrants exposed to institutional corruption during early adulthood (ages 18-25) before migrating exhibit higher levels of political trust in their destination country. This effect is confined to national political institutions and does not extend to supra-national bodies or interpersonal trust. Elevated trust persists over time, translating into greater electoral participation and political engagement.
The integration of immigrants into host societies remains a recurring concern for both policymakers and the public. A common narrative holds that immigrants from countries with weak institutions and high corruption bring these norms with them, eroding trust in political systems. This fear has shaped debates on immigration policies, with some advocating for restrictions to protect institutional integrity (Borjas 2014, Clemens and Pritchett 2019). What if the story is more complex? Could exposure to corruption in home countries actually foster greater trust in host-country institutions?
In a recent study (Aksoy et al. 2024), we examine this question using data from eight waves of the European Social Survey (2004–2018), which includes a range of questions on political trust in the destination country. Our analysis covers 38 European countries. To measure immigrants’ exposure to corruption in their home countries, we use data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-DEM) project.
Our empirical strategy leverages variation within origin countries, within host countries, and across age cohorts. Simply put, we compare immigrants with similar observable characteristics, originating from the same country, living in the same host country, but exposed to differing levels of corruption in their home countries prior to migration. This is achieved by incorporating fixed effects for origin-host country pairs, origin country by year, host country by year, and age cohorts.
Main results
We find that immigrants’ exposure to corruption in early adulthood (i.e. at ages 18-25) in their origin country is an important determinant of the trust they place in the parliaments, political parties and politicians of their country of immigration. Strikingly, exposure to more corruption in the origin country affects trust in the political institutions of the host country positively, not negatively (Figure 1). An immigrant from a highly corrupt environment is six percentage points more likely to trust these institutions compared to someone from a less corrupt country – a significant difference, given that average trust levels hover around 61%. Importantly, this trust is specific to national political institutions. Immigrants’ broader social trust or trust in supranational organisations, such as the United Nations, remains unaffected. Additionally, the impact of corruption exposure persists over time, indicating that early-life experiences shape enduring attitudes (consistent with Eichengreen et al. 2021 and 2024).
Figure 1 Impact of corruption exposure on political trust
Figure note: This figure presents OLS estimates of the baseline model, where the independent variable is Corruption Exposure18-25, corresponding to the cumulative V-DEM Corruption Index in the country of origin when individuals are between ages 18 and 25. Each line represents a separate regression with a different outcome variable. The Political Trust Index is defined as the average trust in parliament, political parties, and politicians. The regressions include a comprehensive set of fixed effect, control for demographic and labour market characteristics (see Table 1 in the paper for details). Whiskers corresponds to two-way clustered standard errors by host and origin country. Data Sources: European Social Survey and V-DEM.
Media consumption as a mediating factor
Interestingly, this increase in trust is not uniform and is strongly influenced by media exposure in the host country. Immigrants who consume more host-country media – such as newspapers, television, or online sources – tend to develop a more nuanced understanding of institutional quality. This additional information reduces reliance on their home-country experiences as a reference point, tempering their levels of trust. Specifically, immigrants with high media consumption in the destination are likely more exposed to institutional shortcomings and political controversies in their host countries, diminishing the contrast with their previous experiences.
Political engagement and broader impacts
There is, in addition, a link between increased political trust and political engagement. Immigrants exposed to corruption in their home countries are more likely to vote or participate in political organisations in their host countries (Figure 2). This suggests that the heightened trust translates into tangible political involvement, further integrating such immigrants into the democratic fabric of their new societies.
Figure 2 Impact of corruption exposure on political behaviour
Note: This figure presents OLS estimates of the baseline model, where the independent variable is Corruption Exposure18-25, corresponding to the cumulative V-DEM Corruption Index in the country of origin when individuals are between ages 18 and 25. Each line represents a separate regression with a different outcome variable. The Political Action Index refers to the average of the following outcomes: voting in the last national election (coded as “1” if individuals voted and “0” otherwise), working for a political party (coded as “1” if individuals worked for a political party and “0” otherwise), and contacting a politician or government official in the last 12 months (coded as “1” if individuals contacted and “0” otherwise). The regressions include a comprehensive set of fixed effects, control for demographic and labour market characteristics (see Table 4 in the paper for details). Whiskers corresponds to two-way clustered standard errors by host and origin country. Data Sources: European Social Survey and V-DEM.
Political trust among immigrants vs natives
Interestingly, natives exposed to corruption during their formative years respond differently. While immigrants develop greater trust when encountering better institutions abroad, natives exposed to corruption exhibit lower trust in their own institutions. This divergence underscores the unique role that migration plays in shaping political trust through comparative experience. For second-generation immigrants, however, the patterns align more closely with those of natives, as their trust levels are shaped by host-country conditions rather than foreign reference points.
Why does this happen?
We interpret this result through the ‘reference point hypothesis’, which draws on insights from Kahneman and Tversky’s prospect theory (Kahneman and Tversky 1979). Immigrants from corrupt regimes form low expectations about political institutions, based on their formative experiences. On encountering stronger institutions in their host countries, they perceive these institutions more positively relative to their previous experiences.
The effect we identify is amplified when the gap between home and host countries is wider. Immigrants from countries with weaker democratic practices or lower income levels display notably higher trust in host-country institutions compared to those from countries with more similar conditions. This suggests that significant contrasts between home and host environments play a critical role in shaping immigrants’ perceptions.
Concluding remarks
Political trust is essential for effective governance and societal stability. Trust in institutions encourages compliance with public policies, political engagement, and overall integration into civic life. Distrust, on the other hand, can lead to disengagement, civil unrest and support for populist movements (Levi and Stoker 2000, Papaioannou 2013). Fostering trust among immigrant populations is thus critical to achieving social cohesion and democratic resilience.
Our findings challenge common fears about immigrants from corrupt countries eroding trust in political systems. In fact, such immigrants often show higher confidence in host-country institutions. Policymakers can build on this trust by promoting active democratic engagement through political education and media literacy initiatives, helping immigrants contribute more effectively to their new communities.
Source : VOXeu
