Working Papers
Syrian Refugees, Public Attitudes, Policy Areas and Political Parties in Turkey: A Systematic Analysis of Twitter Data
No.
1469
Publisher
ERF
Date
April, 2021
Topic
F2. International Factor Movements and International Business
J1. Demographic Economics
The Syrian refugee problem has become an important topic in Turkish politics. Although public opinion has played an important role in shaping policies towards Syrian refugees, our knowledge of how these attitudes are formed is scant. Taking a four-month snapshot of Turkish tweets on Syrian refugees and utilizing a novel clustering technique allowing hand-coding of their content feasible, this study assessed the relative salience of issues raised relating to refugees and tested users assign culpability to Turkish political parties regarding these issues. Findings confirm the salience of security issues and suggest that attitudes towards Syrian refugees are highly politicized.
Authors
Osman Zeki Gokce
Assistant Professor of Political Science and International...
Authors
Emre Hatipoglu
Sabanci University