Do Individual Refugee Traits Matter in Mass-Influx Settings? Survey-Experimental Evidence on Syrian Refugees in Istanbul

• In Event: International Migration Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 07. Survey experiments

Abstract

Survey-experimental research on refugee preferences focuses largely on Europe and North America, where everyday exposure to refugees is limited, claims are assessed individually, and public discourse emphasizes deservingness. I examine attitudes toward Syrian refugees in Istanbul, a high-exposure urban hub where governing institutions and political narratives treat refugees largely as an undifferentiated category. Using two survey experiments with a representative sample of adult Turkish citizens living in Istanbul (n = 2,284), I test whether citizens distinguish among Syrians based on profile-level cues or evaluate them primarily through group-level perceptions. Across both experiments, most profile attributes do not affect support for granting permanent residence, aside from a modest premium for young professionals, which is concentrated among respondents facing competition in the informal sector. By contrast, perceived cultural proximity and realistic threat toward Syrians as a whole strongly predict support for permanent residence. These findings suggest important scope conditions for prior work: in mass-influx contexts, generalized perceptions may dampen the influence of individual-level deservingness cues.

Author

• Kerem Morgul, Elon University