Deserving of Assistance: The Social Construction of Ukrainian Refugees

Poland and the Czech Republic shifted their approach towards refugees during the 2022 Russian invasion when the assistance to Ukrainian refugees became 'a national task'. Our qualitative content analysis of media titles identified narratives strengthening social construction of Ukrainian refugees as deserving of assistance. Consequently, we suggest expanding the CARIN concept of deservingness to CARIN+A emphasizing the role of Assistance as a booster of Control, Attitude, Reciprocity, Identity, and Need. Moreover, we propose the hypothesis of a constructed rationality of assistance since the assistance to the Ukrainians allowed Poles and Czechs to rationalize their negative attitude towards other refugees.

Automated summary

Poland and the Czech Republic changed their approach towards refugees during the 2022 Russian invasion, regarding assistance to Ukrainian refugees as a national task. Our analysis of media titles found narratives strengthening the social construction of Ukrainian refugees as deserving of assistance. Therefore, we suggest expanding the CARIN concept to CARIN+A, emphasizing the role of assistance in control, attitude, reciprocity, identity, and need. Additionally, we propose the hypothesis of a constructed rationality of assistance, as aiding the Ukrainians allowed Poles and Czechs to rationalize their negative attitude towards other refugees.