Fear of Crime and Anti-Refugee Sentiments: Evidence from Canada

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.41297

Keywords:

fear of crime, refugees, prejudice, Canada

Abstract

Many states have witnessed growing xenophobia and hostility towards refugees alongside the framing of refugees as a serious security or criminal threat in public discourse. Making use of an original cross-national survey of adults in Canada, this article explores the link between fear of crime and negative views of refugees. Its results reveal that even after controlling for alternative explanations, people with more fear of crime are significantly more likely to express anti-refugee sentiments. These results have implications for understanding ongoing challenges in maintaining domestic support for refugee protection and the importance of dispelling myths that refugees are sources of criminality.

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Author Biographies

Scott Pruysers, Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Scott Pruysers is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Dalhousie University. He can be reached at scott.pruysers@dal.ca.

Kiran Banerjee, Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Kiran Banerjee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Dalhousie University and Canada Research Chair in Forced Migration Governance and Refugee Protection. He can be reached at kr561466@dal.ca.

Julie Blais, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Julie Blais is an Associate Professor at Dalhousie University. She can be reached at Julie.blais@dal.ca.

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Published

2024-10-23

How to Cite

Pruysers, S., Banerjee, K., & Blais, J. (2024). Fear of Crime and Anti-Refugee Sentiments: Evidence from Canada. Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees, 40(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.41297

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