Updating the social norm and hate crime: the case of the Brexit referendumSilvia Sonderegger
27. Januar 2022
Silvia Sonderegger (University of Nottingham) presents her project "Updating the social norm and hate crime: the case of the Brexit referendum" (joint with Facundo Albornoz and Jake Bradley) in the Microeconomics Research Seminar via Zoom on Thursday, January 27, 5:15-6:45 PM. To register for the seminar, you may write to huyen.nguyen-1"AT"uni-hamburg.de or gero.henseler"AT"uni-hamburg.de.
Abstract: Social and political events impact xenophobic expressions. In the context of the Brexit referendum, the observed shift in hate crime was more pronounced in more pro-remain areas. We argue that the referendum revealed information about the social norm. In a model where individuals conform to imperfectly observed norms, a referendum influenced by preferences over immigration can legitimize xenophobic attitudes. At the margin, some of these expressions involve hate crime. Survey data corroborate the uncovered facts and support our theoretical mechanisms. An estimation of the model replicates the evolution of hate crime and delivers an estimation of the importance of conformity.