Asylum seekers welcome? Multilevel analysis of attitudes towards asylum seekers in Europe

• In Event: 3449 - Migration Crises: Case Studies and Comparative Analyses from Across the World

Abstract

The European ‘refugee crisis’ has led to an unprecedented growth in asylum applications. Public
discourse and media coverage regarding the influx of asylum seekers has been divisive between the
need for more harmonised EU-wide approach and less restrictive asylum policy in some EU states on
one hand, and concerns regarding the strain on resources on the other. While there is an extensive
body of literature on public attitudes towards migrants in general (Ceobanu and Escandell, 2010), the
literature on attitudes towards refugees in European context is limited (but see Coenders et al., 2004).
How the host society perceives refugees is important not only for their day-to-day experience but also
long-term integration and social cohesion. Using the 7th round of the European Social Survey, this
paper aims to i) add to the existing gap in the literature regarding attitudes towards refugees, and ii)
examine possible determinants of anti-refugee sentiment in Europe.

Author

• Egle Gusciute