Prejudice against refugees: Why Ukrainians are better off than Arabs

Prejudice against refugees: Why Ukrainians are better off than Arabs

A current analysis shows that the image of refugees from different cultural backgrounds in Austria varies greatly. According to sociologist Martin Ulrich, people from the Arab-Afghan region are viewed much more critically than those who fled the war in Ukraine. These results were published in the Austrian Journal of Sociology and are based on the “Values ​​in Crisis Panel” conducted during the Corona pandemic. The findings provide important insights into the different perceptions of those seeking protection.

In the context of the Ukraine crisis, which began with the Russian war of aggression in February 2024, around 6.4 million Ukrainians fled to Europe by March 2025. This refugee movement represents the third major migration since 2015, after the refugee movements from Syria and Afghanistan. However, there is a strongly polarized opinion in society about the different groups of refugees.

Social perceptions and prejudices

Ulrich's study highlights that 58% of those surveyed believe that the Austrian state's generosity in Ukrainian asylum applications can be rated positively or neutrally. In contrast, 73% of views on Arab Afghan refugees are critical, with the belief that the state should not be generous. These different perceptions are an expression of social prejudices against refugees.

Interestingly, about 60% of respondents do not believe that Ukrainians receive too much money from the state, while 62% believe that Arab-Afghan refugees do. This suggests that stereotypes about crime and violence strongly associated with the Arab-Afghan group have a significant influence on public opinion.

Current figures on asylum applications

The asylum statistics in Austria show that a total of 59,157 asylum applications were submitted by refugees in 2023. The main countries of origin are Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey. Of the 31,362 decisions on initial applications, around 55% were positive, while 45% were rejected. Among the most successful applications are those from stateless refugees and from Yemen.

What is relevant for the context of immigration is that a total of 2,327,064 immigrants lived in Austria in 2024. This corresponds to approximately 25.5% of the total population. What is striking is that these figures include all people living permanently in the country who were born in another country, but do not include asylum seekers.

A look at the EU migration dynamics

In the broader European context, the Eurostat figures are illuminating. In 2021, 2.3 million immigrants from non-EU countries arrived in the EU, an increase of almost 18% compared to the previous year. Germany, Spain, Italy and France were the most popular destination countries for immigrants in 2021. These four countries represented 60% of all new arrivals to the EU.

The challenges and social dynamics associated with immigration remain complex. The different perceptions towards different refugee groups such as Arab-Afghan and Ukrainian refugees illustrate not only social tensions, but also the need for intercultural dialogue to promote solidarity and understanding in society.