Perceptions of Cypriots on the integration of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in society show a negative shift, a UNHCR opinion poll showed.
Specifically, the findings of the poll showed diminished public support towards refugee integration compared to the last comparable survey conducted for UNHCR in 2018, with most of the respondents believing that refugees and asylum-seekers are not beneficial to the local economy or culture.
There was also a notable increase in concern about demographic changes, criminality and violence that the participants in the survey believe are caused by refugees and asylum-seekers.
Perceptions on countries of origin
According to the findings, the participants believe that African countries are the main countries of origin, followed by Middle Eastern countries. In contrast, in 2018 the primary countries of origin were thought to be Middle Eastern countries. Estimations of the number of refugees currently thought to reside in Cyprus have also increased since the 2018 study.
Refugees from Ukraine, who arrived in Cyprus since February 2022 are not perceived as asylum-seekers or refugees. In addition, overestimations about the monthly allowance that asylum-seekers are entitled to, or other government financial contributions for asylum-seekers, were also recorded.
Differences in perception of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants
Moreover, the study shows that the perception that refugees and asylum-seekers prefer to interact only with members of their own ethnic communities was prevalent among respondents, which further suggests that the public seems to shift the responsibility for integration to refugees and asylum-seekers themselves.
As regards the terms refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants, there is still confusion among the public about similarities and differences between these groups. When comparing the three groups, the most negative representation is that of asylum-seekers while the least negative is that of refugees.
This may be attributed to the fact that many Cypriots identify themselves as refugees following internal displacement in 1974, the study notes.
References relating to hardships and suffering were made for all the aforementioned groups, which suggests an acknowledgement of the difficult conditions they are facing. Refugees are considered to be the group suffering the most, while asylum-seekers are perceived to suffer the least. Moreover, among the three groups, refugees are perceived to be the least threatening while asylum-seekers are perceived to be the most threatening group.
Migrants fall in the middle, both with regard to suffering and threat posed to society. On a positive note, there is clear recognition by the vast majority of the participants of the difficult conditions refugees and asylum-seekers are facing in reception centres, which are considered unsafe and unsuitable for habitation.
The findings also showed a charitable approach among the Cypriot public in supporting refugees through donations, rather than a human rights-based approach that grants asylum to refugees and enables their integration into society.
The Director of the University Center for Field Studies (UCFS) and President of the Psychology Department, University of Cyprus, Professor of Social and Developmental Psychology, Dr Charis Psaltis, in presenting the study further said that several misconceptions regarding asylum-seekers and refugees are prevalent, such as in relation to the numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers currently living in Cyprus, on the public allowances as well as funding sources.
“There is an immense need to include integration in the public and political debate as an important parameter in the comprehensive management of the asylum and migration issue overall. UNHCR together with other stakeholders, can build on the positive attitudes depicted in the study,” Psaltis concluded.
Edith Britney Ade, 23, a young refugee from Cameroon who graduated last year from the University of Cyprus shared her own experiences from the time she came to Cyprus as a little girl until today. “Let’s not forget, behind every faceless number there is an actual person,” she said. She underscored that “the language we choose to use in our everyday lives, makes us part of the problem” and reminded us that “we have to be able to check our internal racial biases.”
She expressed her thanks to all who have helped her in Cyprus: “Me and my family would not have been here if it wasn’t for the people who helped us along the way. Their acts of kindness that may have seemed small for them it really meant the world to us; from the nurses at Makarios hospital who helped my mum when she was giving birth to my two younger siblings, to our sixth-grade teacher that we will never forget, to the people at UNHCR Cyprus. I thank you.”
But she also spoke about the white privilege that she believes is dominant in society: “the truth is that I do not have the same privileges as most of you, in this room. Because where I was born, and the colour of my skin already puts me in a disbenefit… It is a constant fight about human equity, having equal opportunity and equal consideration…Racism is an overall spectrum and might seem opaque, but identifying the problem is just the tip of the iceberg; how it started, where we currently are makes it easier to mold the future.”
The opinion poll was conducted at the end of 2022 by the University Center for Field Studies of the University of Cyprus, on behalf of the UNHCR in Cyprus. The total number of participants was 1,057 persons.
