Can 'the Other' ever become 'One of Us'? Comparing Turkish and European attitudes toward refugees: A five-country study

Since 2015, refugee numbers in Europe have risen to an all-time high. Despite the desperate conditions of most refugees, many European countries have been reluctant to accept them. We investigate how refugees are received in five European countries (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Turkey) and the perceptions of the general population on these refugees. Our data were collected through face-to-face interviews (N = 2,649) in Turkey and an online survey (N = 6,000) in Western Europe. Our findings indicate that positive socio-economic conditions are related to more positive attitudes at the country level, whereas a high number of refugees are related to more negative attitudes. On the individual level, we find that attitudes are shaped by economic class, religiosity, religious piety, and settlement conditionality.

Automated summary

This study found that the reception of refugees in European countries is related to the country's socio-economic conditions, with more positive attitudes observed in countries with positive socio-economic conditions. However, a high number of refugees tends to lead to more negative attitudes. At the individual level, attitudes are influenced by factors such as economic class, religiosity, and settlement conditions.