LAUSR

Using a causal inference in a cross-country regression design made possible by the coincidence that the 2016 US Presidential election occurred during the fieldwork period of the European Social Survey (ESS8), we test whether Donald Trump’s unexpected win increased the willingness to report racist attitudes. The election significantly increased the gap between the opposition to different-race immigration, which did not change, vs. same-race immigration, which significantly decreased. The finding, robust to a large set of checks, is shown to be substantially shaped by socioeconomic and partisan identities. In particular, the causal effect of Donald Trump’s unexpected win on the willingness to report racist attitudes is stronger among old men living in urban areas. Moreover, the aggregate effect is driven by extreme right-wing units with high level of political interest.