Causes and Consequences of Public Attitudes toward Syrian Refugees in Turkey

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