Xenophobia Perceptions of Turkish University Students: An Investigation According to Various Variables

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the perceptions of xenophobia among students in higher education institutions in Türkiye. In this study, a correlational research design was used. The research data were obtained from 512 Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University students. The convenience sampling technique was utilized to select the participants. The Xenophobia Scale developed by Van Der Veer et al. (2011) and adapted into Turkish by Özmete et al. (2018) was used to collect data. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the data. The initial findings indicated that the participants exhibited a generally high perception of xenophobia. It is considered that this is a situation that should be taken into consideration in terms of migration policies and the social dynamics of the country. Logistic regression results showed that gender, age, school level, faculty type, traveling abroad, income, the place of growth, migration, multiculturalism, empathy education, being married to a foreigner, and having foreign friend variables did not predict the xenophobia perceptions of the participants. These results show the complexity of xenophobia perceptions of university students in Türkiye and that these perceptions may not be explained only by demographic variables in current research. Therefore, more in-depth analyses and consideration of different demographic variables or sociocultural factors may be necessary in future research.