Considerations on the Integration of Syrian Refugees in Turkey

• In Event: Violence, Integration, and Return: Decisions of Syrian IDPs, Refugees, and Hosts

Abstract

How do economic, cultural and security concerns affect host society’s attitudes towards the economic, social and political integration of Syrian refugees in Turkey? Is (ethnic or religious) identity proximity between locals and refugees a more important determinant of successful integration than effort and desire (from the part of refugees) to integrate? These questions bare significant policy relevance as Turkey --a Muslim-majority country hosting more than 3.5 million refugees-- is considered by the EU as the ideal place to host most of the Syrian refugees. We conduct an online conjoint survey experiment (with a sample of 2,400 respondents) in which we present our respondents with pairs of Syrian refugee profiles that differ by gender, age, marital status, ethnicity, profession, social connection with local citizens and prior involvement in the civil war. We then ask our respondents which of the two profiles of refugees they would prefer to move next to their house (social integration), to give a work or business permit (economic integration) and to be given citizenship (ethnic integration). Our experiment contributes to the study of host society attitudes towards refugees and desire to integrate them in three ways: First, our questions on integration are capturing in a more direct way the desire of locals to engage in direct –everyday life-- social interactions with refugees. Second, our focus on refugees’ potential prior involvement in the civil war allows us to identify the role that security considerations –in addition to cultural ones-- play in hindering (or facilitating) the integration of refugees in their host communities. Third, by experimentally manipulating refugees’ desire to form social connections with locals, we also examine whether pro-active behavior to integrate from the part of refugees improves locals’ attitudes towards them. Our preliminary findings suggest that ethnic and religious proximity increase support for all types of integration. In addition, efforts to integrate increase support for integration of refugees who are ethnically and religiously different than the host society. Finally, refugees’ prior involvement in the civil war lowers support for their integration but only if they fought with the Syrian regime. Our findings help to shed light to the channels that condition host society attitudes and animus towards refugees and thus inform public policies that aim at facilitating their integration in their host communities.

Authors

• Tolga Sinmazdemir, Bogazici University

• Anna Getmansky, London School of Economics

• Konstantinos Matakos, King's College London