Surveys across many countries repeatedly find that people guess the share of immigrants in their own country is much higher than the official figure. The gap is consistent enough that researchers have a name for it: misperception of immigrant numbers. Part of the cause is availability: people notice visible newcomers in cities, on the news and in debates, and that presence gets mentally multiplied into a population share. Guesses also tend to be shaped by how much a country's immigration is discussed, so the perceived number often reflects attention rather than headcounts. When people are shown accurate figures, their estimates usually move closer to reality, though the underlying attitudes do not always change with them.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.