Abstract
This paper aims to fill the gap in the understanding of the cultural anti-immigration backlash of highly skilled individuals. To address this gap, this study focuses on occupation-specific skills (OSS), which are assets whose returns depend on the occupational labor market context. In tight labor markets, OSS provide protection from labor market competition, but their effectiveness decreases in loose labor markets. As a result, occupations with high OSS, such as professionals and managers, are particularly affected when the occupational labor market deteriorates. This deterioration in the labor market leads to a decline in perceptions of social status, which in turn leads to a cultural reaction against immigration among these workers. The results of several attitudinal surveys, including longitudinal data, support this argument.
