Attitudes Towards Syrian Refugees in Türkiye: Does Cosmopolitanism Matter?

This paper empirically investigates the possible relationship between cosmopolitanism and attitudes towards Syrian refugees in Turkiye. Previous research has emphasised that factors determining cosmopolitanism can also influence attitudes towards refugees and immigrants. However, no study has documented evidence of the link between these factors and the attitudes of Turkish people towards Syrian refugees. We use a unique data set covering 1031 individuals born in different provinces of Turkiye. The survey was carried out in Mersin, Adana, Mardin, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Hatay, where a higher number of Syrians reside compared to other provinces of Turkiye. Attitudes towards Syrians are measured by asking their opinion on whether the Turkish government should provide citizenship and welfare benefits to Syrian refugees. Findings show that those with cosmopolitan orientations, people who have been or lived abroad in the past, and individuals who know at least one foreign language and participated in cultural activities while being in another country are more tolerant of refugees. Although government legitimates the refugee issue to the Turkish society within the religious discourse since the beginning of war, religious people are not different in tolerance towards Syrian refugees than non-religious people in Turkiye.