Resettlement vs. spontaneous applications: Canadians’ attitudes to asylum policy in a comparative perspective

Abstract Increasing irregular crossings into Canada have put the asylum issue at the forefront of the political debate. This article explores Canadian citizens’ attitudes toward two distinct asylum policies: the long-established resettlement policy endorsed by the federal government, and spontaneous applications, which have sparked public debate over the past seven years. Analyzing original survey data from 2021, I show that a majority of Canadians support asylum policies, irrespective of type. Delving into opposition to these policies, I identify welfare chauvinism as the primary factor, although attitudes to international collaboration on refugee matters and to the United Nations also correlate with policy preferences. A comparative analysis of attitudes in Canada, the USA, the UK, and the Netherlands reveals similar influences on asylum policy preferences. By shifting the focus from attitudes to refugees to attitudes to asylum policy, this study provides novel evidence of an important dimension of Canadians’ attitudes toward refugee-related matters.