Refugee Fatigue? How Reports of Increased Numbers of Refugees Affect Public Attitudes About Admission and Overseas Relief

Abstract

Advocates for refugees often publicize increased numbers of refugees, seemingly to generate greater support for pro-refugee policies. In this research note we test whether reading about a greater number of refugees results in more, less, or unchanged feelings of support for pro-refugee policies via a survey experiment from a national sample of more than 3000 U.S. adults. Accounting for uncertainty over whether the public will perceive differential magnitudes on a logarithmic or linear scale, we find that for U.S. adults as a whole, the magnitude of the number of refugees does not lead to support or opposition to policies to (a) admit more refugees or (b) fund refugee relief abroad. Republicans are much less likely to support such policies compared to Democrats, independent of the number of refugees. Surprisingly, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to respond to larger numbers with greater support for both policies. Refugee advocates should not assume that reporting increased numbers of refugees will result in more public support for funding refugees abroad or refugee admissions in the United States.