The friends of our friends: determinants of hosts' contact with international migrants in post-apartheid South Africa

Abstract

Quality contact between host and international migrant communities can create opportunities for migrants to integrate into host communities. While contact should not be seen as synonymous with integration, for migrants, social networks with hosts can open up access to information as well as social and economic opportunities within host communities. This chapter seeks to better understand the determinants of social ties between hosts and international migrants using public opinion data. The aim is to quantitatively examine hosts' contact with migrants, differentiating the quality of contact by looking separately at acquaintanceship (casual) and friendship (intimate). South Africa is used as a case study. I investigate whether political and social alienation, as well as fear of crime, are associated with hosts' level of contact with foreigners.