Causes and Consequences of Public Attitudes toward Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Abstract

Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, millions of refugees have to settle in Turkey. Today, although it has not been acknowledged politically, Turkish society has a Syrian minority. The process through which the Syrians could integrate to the society at large is an important challenge and thus in requirement of state policies. To that end, this article relies on intergroup theories of prejudice to understand the relations between the Turkish society and the Syrians and addresses the level of support/opposition for the governmental policies dealing with the issue. I use a representative sample of the Turkish population to test these expectations. Empirical analysis presents that social distance is an important indicator of prejudice as well as negative emotions toward the Syrians. I conclude with discussion of the societal and policy implications of this study.

Keywords

• Syrian refugees,perceived threat,prejudice,emotions,intergroup relations

Türkiye’de Suriyeli Mültecilere Karşı Kamusal Tutumların Neden ve Sonuçları

Öz

Suriye iç savaşının başladığı günden bu yana, milyonlarca mülteci Türkiye’ye yerleşmek zorunda kaldı. Günümüzde, her ne kadar siyasi olarak kabul edilmemiş olsa da, Türk toplumunun Suriyeli bir azınlığı bulunmaktadır. Suriyelilerin toplumun geneline nasıl uyum sağlayacağı önemli bir sorunsal olmakla beraber, bu konuda devlet politikalarına ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda, bu çalışma, gruplar arası iletişim teorilerindeki önyargı unsuruna dayanarak Türk toplumu ile Suriyeliler arasındaki ilişkiyi anlamaya ve konuyla alakalı hükümet politikalarına yönelik destek/karşıtlık seviyesini açıklamaya çalışmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, Türkiye nüfusunu temsil eden veri kullanarak beklentilerimi test etmekteyim. Görgül analizler göstermektedir ki, Suriyelilere yönelik olumsuz duygular kadar, sosyal mesafe de önyargıyı artıran önemli bir unsurdur. Makaleyi, çalışmanın sosyal ve siyasi etkilerini tartışarak bitirmekteyim.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Suriyeli mülteciler,tehdit algısı,önyargı,duygular,gruplar arası ilişkiler

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