Causes of Polarization: Increased Immigration and Migration

Photo: Mstyslav Chernov, Wikimedia Commons

Citizens in successful societies that gain enough wealth—whether through their own efforts or the ease with which they can draw down state welfare—avoid doing difficult jobs. Labour is then imported to fulfill those functions. In parallel, when there is instability in other countries, word of mouth propelled by digital technology and the mass media churns greater cross-border movement towards the more developed world.

These two factors coming together trigger internal conflict in the destination countries as local and national identities change due to the influx of foreigners, and jobs, ironically, are lost to the new migrants. This leads to polarization. This is because some elites support the migration process due to commitments to universal rights as well as the labour needs of their country, while others rise to defend or safeguard the local culture.

This dynamic was apparent in the UK Brexit vote and in the recent Italian and Swedish elections in 2022. Again, the success of the society and its prosperity leads to this difficult process.

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Read our next post in the series: Causes of Polarization: Technology-Driven Anxiety.