Unwelcome Neighbours: Poverty and Anti-immigrant Sentiment in Morocco

Drawing on data from Rounds 7–10 of the Afrobarometer survey (n = 4,800), this study examines the relationship between lived poverty and Moroccans’ willingness to have immigrants and foreign workers as neighbors. Regression analyses reveal that higher levels of poverty are associated with greater reluctance to have members of these groups as neighbors. This suggests that economic vulnerability may heighten perceived intergroup competition, which, in turn, can foster anti-immigrant sentiment. Disaggregating the data reveals clear patterns. The main relationship holds among men but not among women, and among residents of urban centers but not among those in rural areas. Poor men may exhibit greater hostility toward immigrants than poor women due to men’s higher levels of labor market participation, which place them in more direct competition with immigrants for low-skilled jobs such as in agriculture, trade, and construction. Similarly, poor Moroccans in urban centers may be more hostile toward immigrants than their rural counterparts because they are more likely to encounter wealthy native elites and foreigners, which makes their relatively disadvantaged position more salient. This may be compounded by labor market competition, as immigrants are often willing to accept lower wages and poorer working conditions. By focusing on Morocco—a key node in North-South migration flows—this study contributes to broader debates on how structural inequality shapes public opinion toward immigrants in the Global South.