Humanitarian Concerns and Acceptance of Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Abstract Do humanitarian concerns increase support for hosting refugees? Evidence from Western democracies suggests they do, but do they matter elsewhere? We theorize that humanitarian motivations—concern for torture victims—make host societies more willing to welcome refugees regardless of background. Based on a conjoint experiment in Turkey (N = 2,362), Syrian refugee profiles indicating torture receive higher support than otherwise-similar profiles without torture. This effect is modest compared to other drivers and Western findings, yet increases support uniformly across torture victims regardless of ethnicity, religion, education, or civil war involvement. The effect extends across neighborhood residence, work permits, and citizenship, resonating broadly across respondents. Gender is the sole significant moderator, with information about torture having a stronger effect on female respondents. These findings demonstrate that humanitarian concerns persist even in contexts of mass displacement and economic strain, though their influence remains limited relative to ethnic and religious considerations.