Preferences for Refugee Settlement

• In Event: The Refugee Crisis from Both Sides: Attitudes towards and of Syrian Refugees

Abstract

Recent years have seen a stark increase in the number of refugees and scholars have paid attention to the determinants of attitudes toward refugees. Most existing research analyzed what factors affect natives’ opinions on accepting refugees to the country. However, our understanding of preferences for refugee settlement (e.g., refugees living in camps or spreading across the country) is limited. It is critical to examine whether natives prefer refugees to live in closed camps at the border or spread across the country as this has implications for refugees’ integration as well as social cohesion in the host country. Focusing on host countries that experience civil conflict and political tension, this study emphasizes the role of security concerns. The results from a conjoint experiment in Turkey indicate that refugees that have transnational ties to the insurgency in the destination are preferred at border camps. Additionally, the analysis reveals that preferences for refugee settlement are quite stable and refugee attributes have limited impact. Further examinations highlight the role of age, whether participants are from an oppressed minority group, whether participants have positive attitudes toward refugees, and intergroup contact as the main predictors of preferences for refugee settlement. This study contributes to the literature by underscoring the role of security concerns and highlighting the stability of attitudes toward refugee settlement.

Author

• Oguzhan Turkoglu, Hertie School