@TechReport{iza:izadps:dp17749,
            	author={Levi, Eugenio and Bayerlein, Michael and Grimalda, Gianluca and Reggiani, Tommaso G.},
            	title={Narratives of Migration and Political Polarization: Private Preferences, Public Preferences and Social Media},
            	year={2025},
	month={Mar},
            	institution={Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)},
            	address={Bonn},
            	type={IZA Discussion Paper},
            	number={17749},
            	url={https://www.iza.org/publications/dp17749},
	abstract={We study how preferences for migration-related narratives differ between private and public contexts and how social media fuel opinion polarization. Using a German representative sample (n=1,226), we found that individuals, especially from the left and center, avoided publicly endorsing anti-migration narratives. In an experiment on Twitter (n=19,989) we created four Twitter profiles, each endorsing one of the narratives. Far-right users exhibited markedly different engagement patterns. While initial public endorsements, measured by follow-back rates, aligned with private preferences, social media interactions amplified support for the most hostile and polarizing narrative. We conclude that social media significantly distort private preferences and amplify polarization.},
	keywords={immigration;narratives;political polarization;economic reciprocity;survey experiment;field experiment;group identity;social media;Twitter},
            }