An Examination of University Students’ Xenophobia Levels In Relation to Perceived Threat And Emotional Distance Variables

In this study, it was aimed to examine the effects of perceived threat and emotional distance levels on university students’ levels of xenophobia in the context of Syrian refugees. The sample of the study consisted of 735 undergraduate and graduate students from different universities, 516 of whom were female and 219 of whom were male. In addition to the Personal Information Form, a total of four measurement tools were used in this study: the Xenophobia Scale, the Perceived Threat Scale and the Emotional Distance Scale. Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used for statistical analyses using the SPSS 26.0 software package. According to the results of the study, it was found that the general threat sub-dimension predicted xenophobia positively and significantly in terms of perceived threat level and the emotional closeness sub-dimension predicted xenophobia negatively and significantly in terms of emotional distance levels. The findings are discussed in light of the literature and then recommendations are presented for various applications and future studies in the field.