How Sexuality Affects Evaluations of Immigrant Deservingness and Cultural Similarity: A Conjoint Survey Experiment

In the wake of significant increases in lesbian and gay (LG) immigration, do Americans view LG migrants as more deserving of entry to the United States than their straight counterparts? Using a conjoint survey experiment with 1,650 respondents, we investigate how potential immigrants’ sexual-minority status affects Americans’ perceptions of their deservingness for admission and their cultural similarity to the United States. Results show that, overall, Americans do not perceive LG immigrants as more deserving than straight ones, and LG immigrants are perceived as less culturally similar. But results also reveal heterogeneity: LG immigrants fleeing persecution are seen as more deserving of admission, and Democrats, atheists, and LG respondents consider LG migrants more deserving than straight ones. This paper helps disentangle Americans’ preferences for migrants’ presumed cultural similarity from economic potential and humanitarian merit as well as sheds light on public opinion of an understudied but politically salient group.