Criticism of refugees: The Austrians see Ukrainians and Afghans as different!

Criticism of refugees: The Austrians see Ukrainians and Afghans as different!

In Austria, a striking difference in the perception of refugee people from different cultures becomes clear. While refugees from the Arab-Afghan area are considered more critically, Ukrainians who fled before the war enjoy a significantly more positive assessment. These results come from sociologist Martin Ulrich and were published in the Austrian Journal of Sociology. The data is based on the "Values in Crisis Panel", which was carried out in several waves during the Corona pandemic and recorded the views of the population with regard to the generosity of the Austrian state during asylum applications. It is particularly striking that after the beginning of Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2024 to March 2025, around 6.4 million Ukrainians fled to Europe, which is the third important migration movement since 2015, after the escape movements from Syria and Afghanistan.

A central aspect of Ulrich's research is that 58% of the respondents believe that Austria should be generous in Ukrainian asylum applications, while 73% of the respondents in Arabic-Afghan refugees are critical of state support. Around 60% do not believe that Ukrainians receive too much money from the state, whereas 62% express the same opinion about Arabic-Afghan refugees. Ulrich suspects that deeply rooted stereotypes contribute to these different perceptions via certain groups. Refugees from the Arabic-Afghan area are more associated with crime and violence than their Ukrainian counterparts.

Current asylum statistics in Austria

In 2023, a total of 59,157 asylum applications were made by refugees in Austria, as the UNHCR reports. Particularly high number of applications come from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey. 31,362 cases were processed in the decisions on first applications, with around 55% positive and 45% negative deciding. Some of the most successful applications came from stateless refugees and from Yemen. In the same year, only 19 Austrian citizens reported asylum applications in other countries.

The number of immigrants in Austria took a considerable size in 2024: 2,327,064 people, which corresponds to about 25.5% of the total population. This number includes all people living in the country permanently born abroad, as well as recognized refugees, but no asylum seekers. This indicates a persistent trend that is also shaped by the immigration of people from crisis areas.

migration in Europe

In the European context, the migration situation has also changed. In 2021, around 2.3 million immigrants came to the EU from non-EU countries. This increase of 18% compared to 2020 illustrates the dynamic migration movements that are also influenced by geopolitical developments. The highest growth rates recorded countries such as Germany, Spain, Italy and France, which together represent 60% of all immigrants coming in the EU. At the same time, around 1.1 million people from the EU emigrated in non-EU countries, which is also an increase.

The difference between the number of immigrants and emigrants led to a positive net cigration in the EU, in which over 1 million more people moved to the Union than they left. These numbers illustrate the complexity of migration in Europe and the challenges associated with the integration of refugees from different cultures. Ulrich emphasizes the importance of continuous scientific support in order to promote a better understanding of changing opinions in society and thus also strengthen solidarity with war refugees.