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Abstract Domestic climate migration is likely to increase in the future, but we know little about public perceptions and attitudes about climate migrants and migration. Understanding how perceptions and attitudes are formed is a critical task in assessing public support for assistance policies and developing effective messaging campaigns. In this paper, we aim to better understand how the U.S. public perceives domestic climate migrants. We use novel survey data to identify the relationship between climate change risk perceptions and awareness of “climate migrants,” belief that domestic climate migration is currently happening in the United States, perceived voluntariness of domestic climate migrant relocation, and support for the development of assistance programs for domestic climate migrants. We utilize a large, nationally representative panel of U.S. adults (N= 4074) collected over three waves in 2022. We find that climate change risk perceptions and perceptions of whether migration is voluntary are key drivers of perceptions and attitudes toward domestic climate migrants. We provide key suggestions to policy makers and decision-makers to improve outcomes for host and migrant communities. Significance StatementThis study illuminates factors that influence the how the public forms perceptions and attitudes about domestic climate migrants in the United States. For the first time, we offer insight into the drivers of public opinion toward domestic climate migrants and migration. Our results indicate that the various perceptions of climate migrants are largely driven by preexisting climate change risk perceptions and respondent characteristics. Our findings create a new connection with the existing literature on climate change risk perceptions and offer an opportunity for decision-makers and policy makers to create effective messaging campaigns on topics related to domestic climate migration in the United States.
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This content will become publicly available on September 12, 2026
Protecting irregular migrants: Evidence from Colombia
Abstract When do host governments protect migrants and expand their rights? On 8 February 2021, Colombian President Iván Duque announced a 10-year temporary protected status for over 1.7 million Venezuelan migrants, a policy shift contrasting with more restrictive global migration responses. We offer three motivations for Colombia’s liberalization of migration policy: the pragmatic response to challenges in border control, the economic and legibility benefits of migrant regularization, and the pursuit of international reputation gains. Drawing on interviews with thirty Colombian policymakers, politicians, diplomats, bureaucrats, and NGO leaders, this study offers insights into the drivers of inclusive migration policies in the Global South.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2048977
- PAR ID:
- 10649470
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford Academic
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Migration Studies
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 2049-5838
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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