TOKYO — Researchers Tomoko Matsumoto and Daiki Kishishita published findings in the journal Public Choice on June 1, 2026, showing that informing Japanese survey participants about immigrants' contributions to the healthcare system increased support for high-income immigrants and decreased support for low-income immigrants. The researchers developed a conjoint survey experiment to study public preferences for different types of immigrants.
Matsumoto, affiliated with the Institute of Arts and Sciences at Tokyo University of Science, and Kishishita, with the Graduate School of Economics at Hitotsubashi University, conducted an online survey experiment in Japan with approximately 2,000 respondents. Matsumoto said, "To examine how perceptions of immigrants' relationship to the welfare system affect public preferences for different types of immigrants, we designed a new approach combining an information-provision experiment with a conjoint survey experiment."
Survey participants were randomly assigned to either a control group or a treatment group. The control group received information about labor shortages in Japan and the role of foreign workers in addressing them. The treatment group received this information along with additional details explaining that immigrants contribute to and participate in Japan's healthcare system. Participants evaluated hypothetical foreign workers based on attributes including income, age, industry, political regime of origin country, development status, and region of origin.
In the control group, approximately half of the respondents correctly understood that foreign workers are covered by Japan's national healthcare system. This understanding increased by approximately 30 percent in the treatment group. Results from the control group showed a preference for low-income immigrants over high-income immigrants when addressing labor shortages. However, results from the treatment group showed increased support for high-income immigrants and decreased support for low-income immigrants, without affecting preferences for other attributes.
The study results indicated that concerns about welfare systems and job security interact to shape immigration attitudes. Matsumoto said, "Previous research mostly explores how immigration influences welfare-state institutions, but our study demonstrates the opposite: existing institutional design itself shapes immigration preferences and ultimately immigration policy."