Communicating Strategically about Immigrant Integration: Policymaker Perspectives

Year of production: 2019

Image is illustrative. Photo by Katie Moum from Unsplash.

This paper is revolving around sensitive communication around immigration and shows how to communicate in uncertain times. It takes stock of the communication strategies and common narratives employed by integration policymakers, as well as the slew of obstacles that can lead messages to be misremembered, ignored, or inadvertently inflame tensions. Among the key lessons of this analysis: messages that are overly positive may be perceived as disingenuous or out of sync with on-the-ground realities, while those that fail to tap into an audience’s lived experiences or that do not come from a trusted messenger are likely to be dismissed. Check it out!