Internalized neoliberal ideology and attitude towards refugees

The article aims to draw attention to neoliberal ideology and to examine if the set of values, beliefs, and practices it promotes, correlate to the individuals’ negative attitude towards refugees. For this purpose, I developed two questionnaires: the Internalized Neoliberal Ideology Scale (INIS) and the Attitude Towards Refugees Scale (ATRS); their development is detailly described in the article. As neoliberalism permeates all areas of human life in the developed and developing world, it is becoming more and more internalized to the point that we accept it as common sense. I wondered if internalizing the principles of neoliberalism (i.e., advocacy of deregulation and privatization), which promote increased self-interest, competition, and the pursuit of profit, decreases the level of empathy and acceptance of refugees and encourages harsher treatment of refugees, i.e., denying them refuge, adequate living conditions, and social welfare. Questionnaires were completed online by 166 participants, aged 19 to 65, approximately half men and half women. The results show that negative attitude towards refugees is statistically significantly correlated with internalized neoliberal ideology. Therefore, if we want to preserve and promote compassion for those who need help, we must also consider the influence of political-economic factors on the individual’s attitude.