Refugees welcome? Inter-group interaction and host community attitude formation

Factors Influencing Attitudes of Refugee-Host Population: New Evidence from Thailand

“…There was no definitive answer to what key factors uprightly influence local attitudes, as experiences and perceptions varied significantly from one person to another. However, there has been some evidence that demographic profiles such as gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, income, and a length of time contact with a refugee may all play a role in determining whether an individual is more or less likely to accept refugees (Betts et al, 2023;Glen et al, 2020;Knappert et al, 2021).…”

“…In regards to genders, some studies suggested that women were generally more supportive of refugees than men (Betts et al, 2023). Although the reasons for this are not fully understood, it is possible that women are more likely to empathize with the plight of refugees, given that they are often the victims of violence and conflict (Betts et al, 2023).…”

“…In regards to genders, some studies suggested that women were generally more supportive of refugees than men (Betts et al, 2023). Although the reasons for this are not fully understood, it is possible that women are more likely to empathize with the plight of refugees, given that they are often the victims of violence and conflict (Betts et al, 2023). Ages of the host residents could also be a major factor as younger people were found to be more likely to accept refugees than older generations, perhaps because they are less set in their ways (De Coninck et al, 2021;Glen et al, 2020;Wike et al, 2016).…”

“…The number of studies on the factors influencing inter-group attitudes between refugees and refugee-hosting populations has been growing in recent years, largely due to the fact that understanding these factors could help build welcoming environments for refugees integrating into host society (Betts et al, 2023;World Bank, 2017). However, most of them were conducted in the context of the global north i.e.…”

“…However, most of them were conducted in the context of the global north i.e. Europe and North America and provide little insight into how people living in developing countries feel about refugees, particularly in the global south and southeast Asia (Betts et al, 2023;Dempster et al, 2020).…”