Department of Psychology, Allerton Building, University of Salford, M5 4WT Salford, Greater Manchester, UK.
Acta Psychol (Amst). 2024 Sep;249:104439. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104439. Epub 2024 Aug 12.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine led to a major humanitarian crisis resulting in many Ukrainians seeking refugee status in European countries. Unlike the positive attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees, Afghan refugees who were also required to leave their country following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, received a negative reaction from the same European countries. Examining similar crises, a year apart, where people fled perilous situations in their countries, reveals contrasting reactions that emphasize the need to understand factors driving diverse public attitudes. Integrated Threat Theory (ITT), which posits that perceived threats can lead to prejudice and negative attitudes, may elucidate mechanisms behind opposing reactions towards Ukrainian and Afghan refugees. This study explores whether symbolic threats, intergroup anxiety, fear of terrorism, and political orientation are differentially related to attitudes towards Afghan and Ukrainian refugees in 250 European participants. Results demonstrate that participants hold more positive attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees compared to Afghan refugees. All the aforementioned factors predicted attitudes towards Afghan refugees, but only symbolic threats predicted attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees. Ethnicity and religiosity explain the relationship between symbolic threats and attitudes towards Afghan refugees. Western European participants show a stronger link between terrorism fear and negative views on Afghan refugees than Eastern Europeans, possibly due to higher terrorism rates in the West. Thus, attitudes towards refugees are intricate, but the study emphasizes the role of ITT, terrorism fear, politics, ethnicity, religiosity, and region. The findings could refine policies, stressing the need to address these factors for fostering inclusive, empathetic European societies.
俄罗斯入侵乌克兰导致了一场重大的人道主义危机，许多乌克兰人寻求在欧洲国家获得难民身份。与对乌克兰难民的积极态度不同，阿富汗难民在塔利班接管阿富汗后也被迫离开自己的国家，但他们在同样的欧洲国家却遭到了负面反应。相隔一年，审视这两个类似的危机，人们逃离了自己国家的危险境地，但反应却截然不同，这突显出需要理解导致公众对乌克兰和阿富汗难民的态度迥异的因素。综合威胁理论（ITT）认为，感知到的威胁可能导致偏见和负面态度，这一理论可以解释对乌克兰和阿富汗难民反应截然不同的机制。本研究探讨了在 250 名欧洲参与者中，象征性威胁、群体间焦虑、对恐怖主义的恐惧以及政治取向是否与对阿富汗和乌克兰难民的态度存在差异。结果表明，与阿富汗难民相比，参与者对乌克兰难民持有更积极的态度。上述所有因素都可以预测对阿富汗难民的态度，但只有象征性威胁可以预测对乌克兰难民的态度。种族和宗教信仰解释了象征性威胁与对阿富汗难民态度之间的关系。与东欧人相比，西欧参与者对恐怖主义的恐惧与对阿富汗难民的负面看法之间的联系更为紧密，这可能是由于西方的恐怖主义发生率更高。因此，对难民的态度是复杂的，但该研究强调了 ITT、恐怖主义恐惧、政治、种族、宗教信仰和地区的作用。这些发现可以完善政策，强调需要解决这些因素，以促进包容和富有同理心的欧洲社会。
