Emotional foundations of refugee policy support: The role of threats and emotions towards refugees

Abstract

The current study investigates the relationship between fear of war and perceived intergroup threats and their influence on public support for refugee policies in Poland, within the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, we explored how empathic concern and hostile emotions toward refugees relate to fear of war, perceived threats, and policy support. Participants completed psychometric measures assessing fear of war, perceptions of symbolic and realistic threats, empathic concern, hostile emotions, and support for policies concerning Ukrainian war refugees. Findings revealed that empathic concern strengthens the connection between fear of war and support for refugee policies, offering critical insights into the emotional mechanisms shaping public attitudes. Conversely, symbolic threats are associated with diminished policy support through both lower empathic concern and heightened hostile emotions, while realistic threats show no significant association. This research deepens our understanding of how various forms of fear and threat perception, alongside emotional responses felt towards refugees influence refugee policy support, emphasizing the importance of context-sensitive strategies in policy development to address these complex dynamics effectively.