After 10 years, most people in Turkey want refugees from Syria to go back

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The Social Democracy Foundation (SODEV) has released the results of a study entitled "Syrian Refugees in the 10th Year of Syrian Migration."

The survey was conducted with 1,067 people throughout Turkey between November 8 and 29.

According to the survey, 55.4 percent of the people think Syrian refugees should "go back to their country," 45.5 percent view them as "dangerous people who will cause problems in the future" and 41.7 percent "view them as a burden."

When asked how they describe refugees from Syria, 70 percent of the respondents said "Syrian refugees are not clean, reliable and kind."

Also, 57.5 percent said they are "not hardworking," 55 percent said they wouldn't want to be neighbors with them, and 71.5 percent said they communicate with refugees "when they have to."

Problems with refugees

Despite negative views of Syrians, 49.7 percent of the respondents said they do not have problems with Syrian refugees.

About fights between local people and Syrian refugees, 38.3 percent of the participants said they had not witnessed such an incident but heard of similar incidents.

Over 77 percent of the respondents said they were not harmed by Syrians in the last five years.

78.1 percent said no one from their families was harmed by Syrians, whereas 46.7 percent said someone from their environment was harmed by Syrians in the last five years.

Some seventy percent of the respondents said the government aid to Syrian refugees "is more than necessary." Over 52 percent said the state should provide aid to those in urgent need.

Syrian businesses

When asked whether they would shop at a business owned by Syrians, 44.2 percent of the respondents said they would prefer "a Turkish business doing the same job" and 46.7 percent said they would never shop at a Syrian business.

Also, 67.1 percent said they don't approve of Syrians opening businesses in Turkey.

People's reasons for being against Syrians opening businesses are "They don't pay taxes" (7.14 percent), "They will be permanent here" (70.8 percent), and "They steal our opportunities" (60.3 percent).

Also, 62.8 percent of the respondents said they don't want Syrians to work in Turkey. The reasons were "They should return to their country and work there" (73.6 percent), "Wages will drop" (67.6 percent), "They will be permanent here" (67 percent) and "They will take our jobs" (56.9 percent).

When asked where they would like the Syrians to live, 66.1 percent said they should return to their country and 16.1 percent said they should be settled in "safe areas."

Marrying a refugee

When asked about marriage with a Syrian refugee, 68.8 percent of the women respondents and 64.7 percent of the men respondents said they would not marry a Syrian.

Also, 67.4 percent said they would not let their children marry a Syrian and 65.3 percent said they would not be okay with their siblings marrying a Syrian.

Over 46 percent of the participants said they would not be friends with a Syrian.

Voters

Among all voters, 48.3 percent think the government's policies regarding Syrians are "very wrong" and 18.5 percent they are "wrong."

Also, 46.3 percent of the voters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) think the government's policies are wrong. This rate is 66 percent among the voters of the AKP's allies, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), 88 percent among the supporters of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), and 91 percent of the voters of the Peoples' Democratic Party. (RT/VK)