Mayer, Sabrina JasminSabrina JasminMayer0000-0001-6267-4391Goerres, AchimAchimGoerresSpies, Dennis ChristopherDennis ChristopherSpies2022-10-132022-10-1320221469-21120007-1234https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/55916Immigrants now constitute a sizeable and rapidly growing group among many Western countries' electorates, but analyses of their party preferences remain limited. Theoretically, immigrants' party preferences might be explained with both standard electoral theories and immigrant-specific approaches. In this article, we rigorously test both perspectives against each other using the most recent data from Germany. Applying the Michigan model, with its three central explanatory variables – party identification, issue orientations and candidate evaluations – to the party preferences of immigrant-origin and native voters, we find that this standard model can explain both groups well. In contrast, we find no direct effects of the most prominent immigrant-specific variables, and neither do these meaningfully moderate the Michigan variables. However, we find strong formative effects on the presence of political attitudes and beliefs: immigrants with a longer time spent in Germany, a stronger German identity and less experience of discrimination report significantly fewer item non-responses for the Michigan model's main explanatory variables.engimmigrantspolitical preferencesvoting behaviourpolitical integrationGermanyMichigan model320article10.1017/S0007123421000302