National Media, Local Networks and Refugee Integration

• In Event: Refugees, Violence, and Integration

Abstract

How do national political debates presented in media and local contexts shape integration among refugees fleeing from war? To answer this question, this study relies on two components. First, we implement a survey experiment on Facebook that exposes Ukrainian refugees residing in Germany to vignettes of German politicians who argue in favor or against military support for Ukraine. Second, we rely on exogenous allocation of refugees in Germany to examine how contextual factors at the local level, such as co-ethnic networks, influence refugees' sense of belonging and their intentions to remain in Germany. Jointly, the results of this study shed light on how nationwide political factors and local contexts interact to shape refugee integration.

Authors

• Hanno Hilbig, UC Davis

• Florian Sichart, Princeton University

• Georgiy Syunyaev, Vanderbilt University