A Qualitative Study on Threat Perceptions and Attitudes towards Syrian and Kurdish Minority Groups Living in Turkey

In this research consisting of two studies, the threat perceptions and positive and negative attitudes of Turkish citizens who define their ethnic identity as Turkish towards Syrian and Kurdish minority groups living in Turkey were examined with a qualitative method. In Study 1, in which 360 university students between the ages of 18-50 (Mage= 22.53; SD = 4.19) participated, an open-ended question was asked to the participants as to what kind of a threat you think the Syrian minority group living in Turkey could pose to the country and the participants' responses were grouped under 7 categories and 27 themes. In Study 2, in which 406 university students aged between 18-47 (Mage= 22.50; SD = 3.39) participated, the participants were asked two open-ended questions about what they think about the Syrian minority group living in Turkey and the Kurdish minority group living in Turkey, and the answers were grouped under 10 categories and 39 themes. Compared to the Kurdish group, the Syrian group is seen as a more serious threat. In addition, positive attitudes towards the Kurdish group were expressed more frequently compared to the Syrian group. The categories and themes identified in this study, which comparatively examines the views of the two largest minority groups living in Turkey, will provide resources for researchers focusing on minority-majority relations in the country and will be useful for the authorized parties in the process of developing policies that will facilitate the integration of minority groups into society.