The sudden closure of internal European borders during the COVID-19 crisis had not only practical consequences, but also changed how people thought about immigration and Europe. Recent research from the University of Amsterdam and international partners shows that these measures temporarily undermined trust in the EU and increased hostility toward immigrants—especially among people living near the borders.
n early 2020, as COVID-19 spread rapidly, 18 European countries closed their borders. This especially affected people in border regions, where daily cross-border interaction is common. ‘The border suddenly highlighted the divide between “us” and “them”, between insiders and outsiders,’ says lead researcher and political scientist Lisa Herbig from the University of Amsterdam. This had consequences for how people viewed migration and European cooperation.
Closed borders, immediate impact
To understand the impact of national border closures, the researchers focused on Germany. ‘Germany was an interesting case because some regions saw their borders close, while others remained open,’ says Herbig. ‘This allowed us to compare attitudes in regions that were and weren’t affected by closures, both before and shortly after the measures.’
The team analyzed detailed data on the border closures alongside survey results from the German Socio-Economic Panel. This long-running panel surveys a representative sample of the population at regular intervals, asking about, among other things, migration and Europe.
A clear trend emerged: in the week after a border closure, people’s positive attitudes toward immigrants dropped sharply, as did their sense of connection to Europe. Affected border regions saw a decrease of 7.6% in welcoming attitudes towards refugees and 6.5% in peoples attachment with Europe.
Temporary effects
Strikingly, these negative effects didn’t last long. Within a few weeks, attitudes toward immigrants returned to previous levels. ‘It seems people were initially shocked and saw immigrants more as a threat, but that reaction quickly faded.’
Views on Europe also bounced back within a month. ‘This slightly delayed response might reflect how broader contextual factors like the erosion of European solidarity and the breakdown of cross-border exchange take longer to sink in than the immediate sense of threat from across the border,’ Herbig explains.
The fact that both effects disappeared so quickly likely reflects the gradual control of the pandemic and better coordination between countries. ‘People in the EU may react strongly to sudden policy changes, but they also tend to recover over time,’ Herbig adds.
The symbolic power of border politics
Even though the changes in attitude were relatively small and short-lived, they are still meaningful, the researchers argue. ‘Political opinions don’t usually shift this quickly. A 6 to 8 percent drop within a week is striking,’ says Herbig. ‘Our study connects directly to today’s political debate around Schengen border closures in countries like the Netherlands and Germany. It shows how such measures can have unintended, negative effects on public opinion and the broader political discussion.’