Perception of Refugee Integration and Entitlements Among a Co-ethnic Population: Othering the Rohingyas in Bangladesh

Nazmus Sakib () and Sara Farzana Ananna
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Nazmus Sakib: University of Kentucky, U127 Lewis Hall
Sara Farzana Ananna: University of Kentucky, U127 Lewis Hall

Journal of International Migration and Integration, 2022, vol. 23, issue 4, No 4, 1667-1684

Abstract: Abstract This study presents an empirical analysis on the attitudes of the co-ethnic hosting populations in Bangladesh toward the 1.1 million Rohingya refugees inside Bangladeshi camps. This paper presents the dynamics of the co-ethnic relations in crisis time, showcasing, in particular, the limits of co-ethnic solidarity within a refugee-host context. An original online survey experiment (N = 451), conducted on urban university students and social media users, reveals the impact of exposure to curated negative framing of the Rohingyas by pro-government media. We found that such negative exposure reduces the probability of believing that Rohingyas integrate effectively into Bangladeshi society by nearly 58% and also reduce support for the Rohingyas’ access to the public services generally available to Bangladeshi citizens (e.g., public schools and hospitals) by 47%. Regression results from another survey (N = 1697) on the hosting population in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh further helps explain that less interaction with the Rohingyas is the channel through which politicizing or othering the Rohingya’s entitlement to public services—as demonstrated by the survey experiment—takes place. The results show that the odds of having the view that the Rohingyas should not be allowed access to public services (e.g., public schools and hospitals) among those who never interact are bigger than among those who interact with the Rohingya. This study reaffirms the immigration literature on the value of interaction and the direct impact of dehumanizing campaigns against refugees, even in the case of co-ethnic hosting populations.

Keywords: Rohingya; Survey experiment; Co-ethnic population; Refugee; Forced migration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1007/s12134-021-00910-5

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