Disentangling anti-refugee sentiment: An empirical investigation of the Rohingya crisis

Yuki Higuchi, Keisaku Higashida, Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain and Ryo Takahashi

Economics Letters, 2025, vol. 252, issue C

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of refugee influx on host communities’ sentiment, focusing on the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh. Using data from an incentivized lab-in-the-field experiment and an original survey, we disentangle anti-refugee sentiment into hate, fear, and general survey-based measures. Our findings reveal that mere proximity to a refugee camp intensifies hate without affecting fear or survey-based measures, while experiencing direct damages exacerbates all three dimensions. Conversely, contact with refugees improves survey-based attitudes by enhancing perceptions of communication and interaction. These findings highlight the differential effects of exposure, damage, and contact on anti-refugee sentiment, offering insights for targeted policy interventions.

Keywords: Forcible displacement; Joy-of-destruction game; Money-burning game; Bangladesh (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 D91 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:252:y:2025:i:c:s0165176525001788

DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2025.112341

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