Trust, Values, and Immigration Attitudes among Managers and Workers in 14 European Countries

This article examines how generalised trust and basic human values are associated with immigration attitudes among managers and other workers in Europe. Using data from 282,662 native-born respondents in 14 countries across 11 waves of the European Social Survey (2002–2023), we analyse both general immigration attitudes and acceptance of immigrants from different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Multilevel linear models with country and year fixed effects, and a random slope for generalised trust, show that self-transcendence values and higher trust are associated with more positive views of immigration, while conservation values are linked to more exclusionary attitudes. These patterns remain stable after adjusting for demographic factors. Managers express slightly more inclusive attitudes than other workers, although the difference is modest. Cross-national variation in the trust slope indicates that institutional contexts shape how strongly trust relates to support for immigration. We also observe small increases in immigrant acceptance around major events such as the 2015 arrivals and the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among high-trust individuals. The study contributes to comparative migration research by linking psychological dispositions, occupational roles, and national contexts in shaping attitudes toward immigration and diversity.