Harsh Rhetoric and Cultural Identity: Backlash Effects of Denmark‘s Ghetto List

Abstract:

We employ a regression discontinuity design to examine the effects of Denmark‘s Ghetto List on the cultural identity of non-Western residents in neighborhoods publicly designated as ``Ghettos‘‘. Despite its harsh rhetoric, the policy involved only modest measures aimed at altering neighborhood composition. We find that non-Western individuals residing in listed neighborhoods became more likely to give their children foreign-sounding names and less likely to enroll them in early childcare. This shift was accompanied by more traditional gender attitudes, stronger self-identification as an immigrant or member of a religious group, and lower propensity to follow Danish news and think immigrants get recognition in Denmark. The cultural responses do not appear to result from changes in labor market integration or residential peer composition, suggesting that the stigmatizing nature of the policy and its surrounding public discourse catalyzed the cultural backlash we observe.