People continue to stand by refugees, Gen Z shows most empathy
Why this matters Most people still support the right to seek asylum Resettlement numbers decrease massively Misinformation has not eroded public compassion The Refugee Convention
Why this matters Most people still support the right to seek asylum Resettlement numbers decrease massively Misinformation has not eroded public compassion The Refugee Convention marks 75 years of protection Unveiling new data on Tuesday, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said that despite a growing volume of fake news and hate speech about asylum seekers, public support for refugees is stronger than public debate often suggests. This support has remained broadly stable for years, “despite political tension, economic pressure, and as you all know very well, a very polarized debate”, said Dominique Hyde, UNHCR’s Director of External Relations. Together with pollster Ipsos, the agency found that two in three people across 29 countries agreed that those fleeing war or persecution should be able to seek refuge in another country. Double vision At the same time, around the same number believe that many of those seeking protection do not really need it. “Many of these people are the same people; they hold both views at the same time,” said Trinh Tu, Managing Director of Ipsos UK. “What we see at the moment is a tension between people wanting to support those in desperate need at the same time as having doubts about whether the system is working as it should,” in particular, asylum systems, border management and integration, Ms. Tu explained.
Generous to a fault This perspective seems to prevail in the UK, where “we've got the lowest net migration in Britain, but at the same time, half of the population thinks that actually immigration has gone mad”, even though the facts show otherwise, she added. In Germany and Sweden, where refugee intake is “quite sizeable”, UNHCR’s Ms. Hyde noted that support for asylum seekers remains relatively strong. In Türkiye and Poland, support is not as strong as in previous years. I sat with mothers, I sat with fathers who had barely enough to eat The veteran humanitarian official insisted on the need for continued international support for asylum seekers, citing the difficulties many countries face trying to host tens of thousands of people fleeing conflict. "Generosity cannot replace this international responsibility," Ms. Hyde stressed. She described visiting Busuma camp in eastern Burundi, which shelters more than 57,000 Congolese refugees who have fled intense fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Only around four in 10 people had somewhere to stay, despite the harsh conditions at 2,000 metres. "I sat with mothers, I sat with fathers who had barely enough to eat," Ms. Hyde said.
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