British scientists have investigated how people in the UK and Malta perceive asylum seekers from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. They analyzed the responses in terms of positive and negative emotions, perceived threats, biases, and attitudes towards helping them. It turned out that the inhabitants of the Old Continent are more inclined to help Ukrainians fleeing from war than residents of Syria or Somalia. According to the researchers, this attitude may be due to cultural differences and similarities. “Ukrainians are mostly white Christians, unlike Syrians and Somalis, so they might be seen as more similar to us,” says Dr. Sharon Xuereb, a psychologist from The Open University in the UK.
The study was conducted on 287 adult participants. They completed an online questionnaire without the need to provide their surname. About half of the participants were from the UK, and the other half from Malta, which receives many asylum seekers. Each participant was asked to refer to refugees from Ukraine, Syria, or Somalia.
“I asked participants to what extent they feel biased against asylum seekers and to what extent they consider them a threat. I also asked them about their feelings – whether they experience positive feelings, such as compassion, or negative ones, such as anger, towards asylum seekers, and also about their approach to helping, for example, whether these people should receive educational support,” Dr. Sharon Xuereb explained in an interview with the Newseria Innowacje agency.
In both countries, two groups consistently emerged from the three countries of origin analyzed: Ukrainians received a more positive response, while Syrians and Somalis were perceived similarly, albeit less favorably than Ukrainians.
“Ukrainians were seen differently, in a more positive light than Syrians and Somalis. Participants expressed more negative and fewer positive feelings, greater prejudices, and a more negative attitude towards helping Syrians and Somalis compared to Ukrainians,” comments the expert from The Open University in the UK.
It turned out that Britons are less positively inclined towards both economic migrants and asylum seekers who are not of the white race and perceive them as more culturally distant. White Europeans seeking asylum are perceived in a more positive and friendly light than people from outside Europe. Although Syria may be culturally closer to Malta due to its location in the Mediterranean basin, Maltese study participants still expressed more negative perceptions of Syrians than Ukrainians. Participants from Malta reported more negative emotions, perceived threats, and biases than participants from the UK.
“There was no difference between groups in terms of perceiving asylum seekers as a threat. All three groups were perceived similarly in this respect. The study also indicated that people’s feelings and the degree of perceived threat influence their biases against asylum seekers, which in turn affects whether they want to help them,” says the researcher.
Scientists did not ask study participants what caused this differentiated approach. According to Dr. Sharon Xuereb, cultural similarities may influence Europeans’ perception of refugees. Results considered in the context of social identity theory suggest that white European identity and probably Christian heritage identity are most relevant here.
“I think it’s about perceiving them as different. There are also prejudices against the Muslim population. For example, other authors’ research has shown that Muslims may be seen as undergoing religious indoctrination and associated with terrorism because of their appearance, which applies much less to refugees from Ukraine,” says the researcher from The Open University.
Another issue that may influence the perception of refugees is government policy. However, the dependence here may be the opposite.
“We were more politically encouraged to help Ukrainians than other refugees. Of course, politicians don’t impose laws just like that, but they create regulations and guidelines that they believe will be accepted by society. So I think the more favorable attitude of society towards Ukrainians influenced the political response to them, which in turn was more positive,” says Dr. Sharon Xuereb.
In a recent referendum held in Poland during the parliamentary elections, 96.79% of those who took the voting card answered “no” to the question, “Do you support the acceptance of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, according to the forced relocation mechanism imposed by European bureaucracy?” However, only 40.91% of those eligible participated in the referendum, so it was not binding.
“If people get used to living next to people of different origins, they may realize that there is nothing to fear. Forced interaction may eventually reduce prejudice. However, I believe that every refugee relocation should be accompanied by support. We cannot accept refugees and let them live in poverty, without the right to work and face difficulties, because then it will be harder for them to integrate, and we will always see them as different. We need to organize everything so that refugees become part of society. So it’s not just about accepting them into a given country, but about actions to help them actively participate in society,” the expert believes.
According to a study conducted by Kantar on behalf of UNHCR Poland, 61% of respondents, including 24% decisively, believe that we should accept refugees because we also had to flee our homeland and were accepted in other countries. 62% of respondents believe that Poland should accept refugees because our compatriots in a similar situation would also like to be treated well.
“I am currently conducting other research in which I ask people whether, in their opinion, the presence of refugees is associated with benefits. This is an interesting question that allows us to think about the positive aspects of the presence of refugees. The better we understand why people have difficulty accepting refugees, the better we will be able to respond, including influencing government policy, so that we, as people, are more helpful,” emphasizes the psychologist.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 108 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced in 2022 due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, or events seriously disrupting public order. 5.4 million of them are asylum seekers, and 35.3 million are refugees.
