Syrian Refugees and Americans: Perceptions, Attitudes and Insights

Ismail Hakki Yigit; Andrew Tatch

doi:10.29333/ajqr/5789

Ismail Hakki Yigit ¹, Andrew Tatch ¹

More Detail

AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 1, Issue 1, pp. 13-31

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/5789

OPEN ACCESS 3866 Views 3078 Downloads

Download Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

In recent years, the United States (US) has seen an influx of refugees from the Syrian Crisis, highlighted by a public declaration from then President Obama that 10,000 refugees would be admitted. National surveys suggested that roughly half of US citizens were uncomfortable with this decision. This study serves as an extension of these previous surveys by further elucidating the underlying causes of this discomfort. As such, this study explores Americans’ perceptions of Syrian refugee resettlement as well as Syrians’ perceptions of America using face to face interviews and content analysis. Analyses revealed conflicting meanings of immigration for both Syrians and Americans as well as co-occurring compassion and fear directed towards Syrian refugees. In addition, Syrian refugees perceived their American resettlement as an opportunity for engagement with society and to contribute socially and economically, while also noting their marginalization and stigmatization in their transitional countries. Americans expressed a lack of understanding of the legal status of Syrian refugees, often equating them with undocumented and illegal migrants. Americans held oppositional attitudes towards Syrian refugees, expressing both empathy towards and fear of terrorism. This study extends the literature on immigration through a more dynamic exploration of attitudes of both refugees and citizens in America, capitalizing on the distinct advantages of qualitative approaches.

Keywords: Syrian refugees, qualitative study, perceptions of Americans, terrorism

References

Abbas, T., & Yigit, I. H. (2015). Scenes from Gezi Park: Localisation, nationalism and globalization in Turkey. City, 19(1), 61-76.
Abbas, T., & Yigit, I. H. (2016). Perspectives on Ethno-National Conflict among Kurdish Families with Members in the PKK. Terrorism and Political Violence, 28(2), 297-315.
Adnan, G., & I. Coles. (2017, December 09). Iraqi Forces Drive Islamic State from its Remaining Territory. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from (https://www.wsj.com/articles/iraqi-forces-drive-islamic-state-from-its-remaining-territory-1512834670)
Aguirre, A. J., & Turner, J. H. (2016). American ethnicity: the dynamics and consequences of discrimination. New York, NY: Mcgraw-Hill.
Akgul, A., A. Kapti, & O. O. Demir. (2015). Migration and Public Policies: An Analysis of Syrian Crisis. The Global: A Journal of Policy and Strategy, 1(2), 1-22.
Aydin, H., & Y. Kaya. (2017). The Educational needs of and Barriers faced by Syrian Refugee Students in Turkey: A Qualitative Case Study. International Education, 28(5), 456-473.
Cainkar, L. A. (2009). Homeland Insecurity: The Arab American and Muslim American Experience after 9/11. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
Carasik, L. (2015). OPINION: US leaders cave to popular fear on Syrian refugees. Retrieved from http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/11/us-leaders-cave-to-popular-fear-on-syrian-refugees.html
Christophersen, M., J. Liu, C. M. Thorleifsson, & A. A. Tiltnes. (2013). Lebanese attitudes towards Syrian refugees and the Syrian crisis: Results from a national opinion poll implemented 15-21 May, 2013. Fafo Paper 2013. Retrieved from http://www.fafo.no/images/pub/2013/10179.pdf.
Çitamak, Y., & Yigit, I., H. (2012). From Student Desk to Teacher’s Table. International Journal of New Trends in Arts, Sports & Science Education, 1(2), 8-14.
Dawson-Hahn, E., Pak-Gorstein, S., Hoopes, A. J., & Matheson, J. (2016, December 12). The Nutritional Health of Young Refugee Children Resettling in Washington State. Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/nutritional-health-young-refugee-children-resettling-washington-state
Dejong, J., Sbeity, F., Schlecht, J., Harfouche, M., Yamout, R., Fouad, F. M., Robinson, C. (2017). Young lives disrupted: gender and well-being among adolescent Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Conflict and Health, 11(1), 1-23.
DeSilver, D. (2015). U.S. public seldom has welcomed refugees into country. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/19/u-s-public-seldom-has-welcomed-refugees-into-country/
Ersoy, E. (2015). Assessment of Adolescent Perceptions on Parental Attitudes on Different Variables. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 3(5), 165-176.
Galston, W. A. (2016). What Americans really think about the Syrian refugee crisis? Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2015/09/30/what-americans-really-think-about-the-syrian-refugee-crisis/
Faltis, C. (2014). Toward a Race Radical Vision of Bilingual Education for Kurdish Users in Turkey: A Commentary. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 1(1), 1-5.
Flick, U. (2014). An Introduction to Qualitative Research, 5th edition. Thousand Oaks; CA: Sage.
Gilsinan, K. (2015). The Confused Person's Guide to the Syrian Civil War. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/10/syrian-civil-war-guide-isis/410746/
Gardiner Harris, David E. Sanger, & David M. Herszenhorn. (2015). Obama Increases Number of Syrian Refugees for U.S. Resettlement to 10,000. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/11/world/middleeast/obama-directs-administration-to-accept-10000-syrian-refugees.html?_r=0
Hanson, G., & Spilimbergo, A. (1996). Illegal Immigration, Border Enforcement, and Relative Wages: Evidence from Apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico Border. American Economic Review, 89(5), 1337-1357.
Hanson, G. H., Scheve, K. F., Slaughter, M. J., & Spilimbergo, A. (2002). Immigration and the U.S. Economy: Labor-Market Impacts, Illegal Entry, and Policy Choices. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.296108
Holdsworth, C., N. Finney, A. Marshall, & Norman, P. (2013). Population and Society. London: Sage.
Hooper, K., Zong, J., Capps, R., & Fix, M. (2017). Young Children of Refugees in the United States: Integration Successes and Challenges. Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/young-children-refugees-united-states-integration-successes-and-challenges
Icduygu, A. (2015). Syrian Refugees in Turkey: The Long Road Ahead. Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/syrian-refugees-turkey-long-road-ahead
Jacobs, S. (2015). 20 stunning portraits from the 'Humans of New York' photographer's interviews with Syrian refugees. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/syrian-refugee-stories-told-by-humans-of-new-york-2015-12/#istanbul-turkey-1
Jones, S. G. (2015). The terrorism threat to the United States and Implications for Refugees. RAND Office of External Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/testimonies/CT400/CT433/RAND_CT433.pdf
Kaya, Y. (2015). The Opinions of Primary School, Turkish Language and Social Science Teachers regarding Education in the Mother Tongue (Kurdish). Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 2(2), 33-46.
Kirişci, K. (2016). Syrian Refugees and Turkey’s Challenges: Going beyond Hospitality. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/research/syrian-refugees-and-turkeys-challengesgoing-beyond-hospitality/
Krippendorff, K. (2003). Content Analysis: An Introduction to its Methodology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Kritz, M. M., Keely, C. B., & Tomasi, S. M. (2004). Global trends in migration: theory and research on international population movements. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Books on Demand.
Krogstad, J. M., & Radford, J. (2017). Key facts about refugees to the U.S. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/30/key-facts-about-refugees-to-the-u-s/
Martin, P. L., & Midgley, E. (2006). Immigration: shaping and reshaping America. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau.
Massey, D. S., Arango, J., Hugo, G., Kouaouci, A., Pellegrino, A., & Taylor, J., E. (1993). Theories of International Migration: A Review and Appraisal. Population and Development Review, 19(3), 431-466.
Mcneely, C. A., & Morland, L. (2016). The Health of the Newest Americans: How US Public Health Systems Can Support Syrian Refugees. American Journal of Public Health, 106(1), 13-15.
Michou, A., Mouratidis, A., Ersoy, E., & Uğur, H. (2016). Social achievement goals, needs satisfaction, and coping among adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 99, 260-265.
Newport, F. (2015). Historical Review: Americans' Views on Refugees Coming to U.S. Retrieved, from http://www.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/186716/historical-review-americans-views-refugees-coming.aspx
Portes, A., & Borocz, J. (1989). Contemporary Immigration: Theoretical Perspectives on Its Determinants and Modes of Incorporation. International Migration Review, 23(3), 606.
Rettberg, J. W., & Gajjala, R. (2015). Terrorists or cowards: negative portrayals of male Syrian refugees in social media. Feminist Media Studies, 16(1), 178-181.
Scarboro, A. & Yigit, I., H. (2014). Social Distance in Today’s Istanbul: Politics and Exceptionalism. Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science, 2(6), 1-13.
Sharara, S. L., & Kanj, S., S. (2014). War and Infectious Diseases: Challenges of the Syrian Civil War. PLoS Pathogens, 13(10), 38-44.
Sirin, S. R., & Rogers-Sirin, L. (2017). The Educational and Mental Health Needs of Syrian Refugee Children. Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/educational-and-mental-health-needs-syrian-refugee-children
Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS). (2017). Refugee Admissions Report October 31, 2017. Retrieved from http://www.wrapsnet.org/s/Refugee-Admissions-Report-2017_10_31-1.xls
Wall, M., Campbell, M. O., & Janbek, D. (2016). Syrian refugees and information precarity. New Media & Society, 19(2), 240-254.
Weiss, R. S. (1995). Learning from strangers: the art and method of qualitative interview studies. New York: Free Press.
Yigit, Ismail H. (2015). Survival Tactics of Waste Paper Pickers in Istanbul. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 2(1), 1-14.
Zong, J. (2016, January 25). Profile of Syrian Immigrants in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/profile-syrian-immigrants-united-states.

Citation

Yigit, I. H., & Tatch, A. (2017). Syrian Refugees and Americans: Perceptions, Attitudes and Insights. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 1(1), 13-31. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/5789

Yigit, I. H., and Tatch, A. (2017). Syrian Refugees and Americans: Perceptions, Attitudes and Insights. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 1(1), pp. 13-31. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/5789

Yigit IH, Tatch A. Syrian Refugees and Americans: Perceptions, Attitudes and Insights. American Journal of Qualitative Research. 2017;1(1), 13-31. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/5789

Yigit, Ismail Hakki, and Andrew Tatch. "Syrian Refugees and Americans: Perceptions, Attitudes and Insights". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2017 1 no. 1 (2017): 13-31. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/5789

Yigit, Ismail Hakki et al. "Syrian Refugees and Americans: Perceptions, Attitudes and Insights". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 1, no. 1, 2017, pp. 13-31. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/5789

Yigit IH, Tatch A. Syrian Refugees and Americans: Perceptions, Attitudes and Insights. American Journal of Qualitative Research. 2017;1(1):13-31. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/5789