“We Can Do This”: A Mixed Methods Analysis of German Citizens’ Reception and Responses to the Syrian and Ukrainian Refugee Crises

Abstract

Europe has experienced two major refugee crises in the 21st Century: Syria in 2016, as a result of the Syrian Civil War, and Ukraine in 2022, as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Germany emerged as a leader in accepting Syrian refugees in 2016 and repeated its feat with Ukrainian refugees in 2022. However, differences in how citizens received the two different refugee groups prompted questioning into attitudes and responses. This thesis examines the difference in the reception and responses of German citizens in 2016 and 2022 to better understand how citizens reacted to each crisis. I begin by comparing the two refugee groups and examining literature on refugee studies to understand the influence of labeling, perspectives on what different types of refugees deserve, integration, media coverage, and citizens’ contact with refugees on how citizens receive refugees following a crisis. I then analyze my data to better understand citizen reception. I find that citizens’ attitudes differed across years, with citizens having more negative attitudes in 2016 than in 2022. I found that individual determinants impact attitudes and identified the following relationships: men, young people, native-born citizens, people with higher incomes, and people with left-wing ideologies had more positive attitudes towards refugees than women, older people, foreigners, people with lower incomes, and people with right-wing ideologies. Additionally, students and self-employed individuals had more positive attitudes than paid employees. I find that citizens prefer refugees that they rate highly and that citizens took into account economic considerations, as they preferred young refugees who were employed with skills and had strong language skills. Additionally, they took into account humanitarian considerations, preferring refugees who fled due to religious, political, or ethnic persecution over refugees who fled due to economic concerns. I also found evidence that anti-Muslim sentiment affects citizen preferences. I then analyze interviews with individuals who work at refugee assistance organizations to understand citizens’ responses. I found that citizens responded similarly in 2016 and 2022, with citizens offering to house refugees and volunteering with refugees in both years. Ukrainian refugees were publicized more in the media than Syrian refugees were, which may have impacted citizens’ responses. Language was identified as a key challenge for refugees integrating into German society and difficulties surrounding class time length, and rigor lead to high refugee dropout rates. Between crises, Germany made many improvements to its asylum infrastructure and system to make it easier for refugees to receive support and protection. I recommend the continuation of federal programs like Menschen stärken Menschen, or “People Strengthen People,” to encourage the establishment of relationships between citizens and refugees to increase exposure and build community. I also recommend improvements to the current asylum system, mainly relating to the timeline and accessibility of language, cultural, and job training classes. I recommend further research to continue to examine citizens’ reception and responses to the Ukrainian refugee crisis and for continued comparison between the two groups to ensure successful integration is achieved across refugee groups. My work contributes to the scholarship by comparing the reception and responses of German citizens during two very different refugee crises. Additionally, my findings help address gaps in the literature on how refugee characteristics are related to citizens’ attitudes. My research is applicable to other countries and refugee groups and can help form the foundation for successful integration policies and practices that mutually benefit citizens and refugees.