How refugees respond to hostile political discourse: no exit, but less voice

Abstract

How does the political discourse about refugees influence their attitudes in the host country? Relying on an online survey and experiment conducted with Syrian refugees in Turkey and Germany, this study explores the relationship between political discourse and refugees' two potential attitudinal responses: political integration and return. Our observational analysis demonstrates that refugees' perception of the political discourses about them is the variable most consistently associated with attitudes in these domains. Our experimental results reveal that hostile political discourse, compared to a welcoming political discourse, undermines refugees' political integration, weakening both their political interest and willingness to participate in host country politics. However, our experimental findings suggest that political discourse does not significantly impact refugees' intentions to return. Overall, our results demonstrate that refugees' perceptions of political discourse are an important determinant of their attitudes toward host country politics, and more research is warranted on the topic.