Welfare Chauvinism Over Religious Solidarity: Drivers of Anti-Immigration Attitudes in Turkey

Nativism studies suggest local populations exhibit exclusionary attitudes toward newcomers based on their perceived foreignness. Turkey, which has hosted more than 3 million Syrian refugees over the past decade, presents a contradictory case, as it has not displayed strong anti-immigration sentiments. However, the economic downturn following the pandemic has heightened tensions between Syrians and Turkish citizens. The situation has been further complicated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, leading to an influx of both Ukrainian and Russian migrants to Turkey. To investigate how refugee characteristics influence public approval of refugee settlement, we conducted six focus groups and a face-to-face representative survey experiment (N = 1500). First, we collected qualitative data from focus group participants on how they define ‘native’ and the key drivers of anti-immigration sentiments. Next, using a between-group experimental design, we tested how factors such as education, income, religiosity, and nationality moderate the approval of a hypothetical refugee family’s admission. Our findings reveal that contrary to the assumption of religious solidarity with Syrian refugees, welfare chauvinism is the primary driver of anti-immigration attitudes, with Turkish citizens opposing refugees receiving social assistance, irrespective of other factors.