Immigration to Croatia has increased since 2021 due to the abolition of fixed state quotas for the import of foreign workers. The opening and liberalization of the Croatian labor market to citizens of third countries has led to an intensified influx of foreign workers from poorer Asian countries, particularly from Nepal, India, and the Philippines. According to the 2021 European Social Survey (Round 10), Croatian citizens generally show moderate attitudes towards immigration, while their views are somewhat more restrictive regarding migration control and regulation. Croatia has traditionally been an emigration country and does not have historical experience with large-scale immigration from populations of different ethnic, religious, or racial backgrounds. The attitudes of the resident population towards immigration are important for the design and success of integration policies. Given that Croatia still lacks an effective immigration policy, a survey was conducted using a quota sample (N=663) to assess how Croatian citizens perceive contemporary immigration, based on their level of information and personal experiences with migrants.

Empirical findings and experiences from different countries indicate that the predictors of immigration attitudes are highly complex. Age, gender, education, and economic status emerge as the most important factors shaping perception patterns. The focus of this research is on empirically testing whether education serves as a positive or negative predictor of general immigration attitudes, using Croatia as a case study. The methodological approach is based on linear modeling (ANOVA) within and between educational groups, followed by Scheffé’s test of multiple comparisons, where education is the dependent variable, while knowledge and attitudes towards migration are the independent variables.

The results will reveal the extent to which educational differences among respondents influence the level of openness of Croatian society towards immigration and what the expected level of acceptance is for different, more visible groups of immigrants, depending on the respondent's educational background.

Keywords: Croatia, education, immigration, perception.