Turkish University Students` Attitudes, Contact Quantity, and Ethno-cultural Empathy toward Syrian Refugees: A Mediation Model

This study examined the mediating role of ethno-cultural empathy in the relationship between contact quantity and attitudes toward Syrian refugees in a sample of Turkish University students. Using a cross-sectional design in a sample of 275 university students (Mage = 22.46), an online measurement tool was applied that included demographic information, contact quantity, ethno-cultural empathy, and attitudes toward Syrian refugees. The results showed that ethno-cultural empathy was positively related to both contact quantity and attitude toward Syrian refugees. Moreover, ethno-cultural empathy was found to play an important mediating role in the relationship between frequency of contact and attitudes towards Syrians. This finding reveals that an increase in contact quantity is associated with an increase in ethno-cultural empathy and this relationship positively affects attitudes towards Syrians. In the attitude of the local people toward the Syrian refugees, socio-political strategies were discussed and suggestions for future work were made.