Positive versus negative contact and refugees' intentions to migrate: The mediating role of perceived discrimination, life satisfaction and identification with the host society among Syrian refugees in Turkey

Abstract

Most research on refugee integration focuses on attitudes toward refugees among the members of the host society. Consequently, little is known on refugees' intentions to return home or migrate to another country. The present research investigates whether positive and negative contact with Turks are related to Syrian refugees' migration decisions via perceived discrimination, identification with the host society, and life satisfaction. Using a sample of Syrian adults (N = 285), we found that positive contact with Turks was associated with reduced return intentions via perceived discrimination and identification with the host society and with reduced intentions to migrate from Turkey to the Western countries via life satisfaction. Negative contact was only associated with increased return intentions via perceived discrimination. This study underscores the role of intergroup contact to better understand migration decisions of refugees and potential underlying mechanisms to explain this association. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.