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Refugees


AMERICANS MORE ACCEPTING OF REFUGEES FROM UKRAINE THAN MIDDLE EAST, CENTRAL
AMERICA, NEW DATA FINDS

YouGov in collaboration with NBCLX surveyed 2,000 U.S. adults about whether the
U.S. should take in refugees from Ukraine, El Salvador, Syria and Afghanistan.
Maura Hohman and Noah Pransky
March 11, 2022 9:07 pm

As the Russia-Ukrainian conflict surpasses the two-week mark, over 2 million
Ukrainians have fled the violence. Most of them have traveled to fellow European
countries, but in a visit to Warsaw, Poland, earlier this week, Vice President
Kamala Harris pledged the U.S. would take in Ukrainian refugees.

It turns out most Americans would be supportive of this move, especially in
comparison to taking in refugees from other parts of the world, such as Central
America and the Middle East, according to data gathered from 2,000 U.S. adults
by YouGov in collaboration with NBCLX.




WHAT THE SURVEY ON AMERICANS' VIEWS ON UKRAINIAN REFUGEES FOUND

In a poll of random sample of 500 Americans (stratified by gender, race, age,
education, geographic region and voter registration), 61% of respondents said
the U.S. should take in Ukrainian refugees while 17% said it shouldn't. In
another poll of 500, 46% of respondents said the U.S. should take in refugees
from Afghanistan, and 29% said it should not.

Two more polls of 500 U.S. adults each looked at respondents' views on refugees
from Syria and El Salvador. About 46% said the U.S. should take in refugees from
Syria and 32% said it should not. For El Salvador, 40% of respondents said the
U.S. should take in refugees, and 31% said it should not.

"What’s clear is that there is more support among Americans for accepting
refugees fleeing violence from Ukraine than from Afghanistan, Syria or El
Salvador," explained Carl Bialik, U.S. politics editor at YouGov America, via
email.

"Democrats’ support was largely the same for refugees from each of the four
countries," he added. "There was a more pronounced difference among Republicans:
48% said they would support accepting Ukrainian refugees, compared to just 19%
to 32% for each of the other three countries."

Looking at generational splits, the support for Syrian (42%) or El Salvadorian
(36%) refugees among adults 45 and older is much lower than it is for adults 18
to 44 (51% and 45%, respectively). No generation had a bigger discrepancy in
refugee support than seniors 65 and up had between Ukrainian refugees (70%
support) and those from Syria (33%) or El Salvador (35%).


WHY ARE AMERICANS MORE WELCOMING TO UKRAINIAN REFUGEES?

Once the refugee crisis in Ukraine began, headlines about racism relating to the
conflict followed. Africans in Ukraine reported being turned away or facing
longer delays when seeking safety. And numerous journalists and politicians have
been criticized for implying that violence in countries with predominantly
non-white populations is more acceptable than in European ones.

But to understand average Americans' views on refugees, as the survey tried to
capture, it's important to acknowledge a couple of things. First, while El
Salvador has one of the world's highest violent crime rates, the Syrian Civil
War is raging on, and the Taliban has reclaimed power in Afghanistan, Ukraine
has been undoubtedly getting the most coverage, which might've led more
respondents to say the U.S. should take in Ukrainian refugees versus the other
countries'.

"We call it a recency bias," explained Robert Adelman, Ph.D., professor of
sociology at University at Buffalo. "Right now, the war [in Ukraine] is going
on, so you might have done the same survey a year ago or two years in the
future, and there'll be different contours to the findings."

"On the other hand, I do think, to some extent, it's a reflection of the history
that the United States has with these countries and ongoing perceptions of the
people that come from these countries," he added.

Second, the past century and a half of United States immigration law may also
inform Americans' views today, according to Katy Arnold, Ph.D., director of the
Refugee and Forced Migration Studies program at DePaul University.

"The very foundation of federal immigration law is rooted in racism," she said,
pointing to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first federal legislation
that prohibited immigration for a specific nationality. "It instituted basically
a tolerance ... for racism at that time."

More restrictions on immigration followed, including the Immigration Act of
1924, which established national origin quotas, limiting the number of
immigrants who could be accepted from a given country, including Eastern
Europeans. Asians were completely excluded.

Arnold said the "overt" racism of U.S. immigration laws became "a little more
neutral-seeming" in 1965 when national origin quotas were abolished. However,
another shift occurred in 1996 and the years that followed as two new groups of
immigrants came under scrutiny. "One ... is, especially after 9/11, young men
from countries associated with terrorism, and we haul them in without proof, and
the definition of terrorism allows us to do that. ... [The other is] Central
Americans being targeted disproportionately for detention and deportation."

According to Adelman, immigration policy "intersects" with contemporary race
relations within the U.S. "Immigrants change the meaning of race and ethnicity
over time. Yet somehow, the United States still has dramatic racial inequality,"
he said.

For Arnold, the most important takeaway from the survey is to stop comparing
ourselves to other ethnic groups or other ethnic groups with each other.

"So many people can relate to these histories of diaspora and exile," she said.
"Until we connect on those issues and don't think one counts more than the
other, that's when we'll be able to truly be there for each other."


Russia-Ukraine Crisis


MANY RUSSIANS ARE DEEPLY UNHAPPY WITH WAR, BUT FEAR SPEAKING OUT

A Russian TV employee is likely to face charges after holding a protest sign on
camera during a broadcast that read “No war,” and “don’t believe the
propaganda.” Author Anatol Lieven says Russians are feeling fear of speaking out
and facing repression.
Watch Video
Russia-Ukraine Crisis


THIS UKRAINIAN MAN AND HIS WIFE SLEEP IN SHIFTS TO LISTEN FOR AIR RAID SIRENS

Vova Kalinchuk plans to stay in Lviv, Ukraine amid the war with Russia, because
he does not want to leave his family. Kalinchuk told LX News host Nik Z about
how his life has changed since Russia invaded. He has to always be ready to head
underground in case an aircraft is approaching with a bomb. When they head
underground,...
Watch Video
LGBTQ


THIS NONPROFIT SERVES AS A ‘FAIRY GODMOTHER' TO DRAG PERFORMERS

Through his nonprofit Verna Felton, Scottie Gage donates his drag costumes along
with makeup and other supplies as part of “care packages” for performers who
can’t afford them. The organization is named for the late Disney voice actor
Verna Felton, who voiced several iconic characters, including the Fairy
Godmother in 1950’s “Cinderella.” Gage said helping other LGBTQ people find
acceptance...
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schools


MINNEAPOLIS TEACHERS STRIKE FOR BETTER PAY, SMALLER CLASSES

Two thirds of support staff in Minneapolis schools are “homeless or highly
mobile,” and many staff work multiple jobs, said Aria Campbell. Campbell is a
rep with the Minnesota Federation of Teachers and a support professional in
Minneapolis schools. Teachers have been on strike for two weeks now, calling for
wage increases, more manageable class sizes and mental health resources...
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Russia-Ukraine Crisis


POLISH CITIES NEARING CAPACITY AFTER 1.7 MILLION UKRAINIAN REFUGEES CROSS BORDER

More than 2.8 million people have evacuated Ukraine since Russia’s invasion
began, and 1.7 million have taken refuge in Poland, Ukraine’s western neighbor.
Poland is trying to disperse the large crowds by adding more train routes
heading west into Europe, like to Germany and the Czech Republic. But as Jay
Gray shows you from the Polish-Ukrainian border region, many people...
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Student Debt


FOUR (MOSTLY) PRACTICAL HACKS TO GET RID OF STUDENT LOAN DEBT

Americans are drowning in student loans. But luckily there are some lifeboats
out there. You just need to know where to find them… and where the paddles are.
Here are three practical suggestions (and one not-so-practical suggestion) to
get rid of your student loan debt.
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Russia-Ukraine Crisis


RUSSIA IS ‘BOGGED DOWN' IN WAR WITH UKRAINE

Russia’s military did not expect the resistance it would face from Ukrainian
fighters, says former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state Joel Rubin. “The
Ukrainian people are incredibly brave and strong, and they are staring down a
very large army and putting it in its place,” Rubin said.
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gas prices


4 THINGS YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW TO SAVE MONEY ON GAS

With gas prices rising, proper vehicle maintenance is key to make sure you’re
getting the most bang for your buck per tank of gas. We got helpful tips from a
Dallas-area mechanic on how to do just that. Stop flooring it going up to a red
light!
Watch Video
Russia-Ukraine Crisis


ARE AMERICANS READY TO WELCOME REFUGEES? IT DEPENDS ON WHERE THEY'RE FROM

A new NBCLX/YouGov poll on refugees shows stark contrasts in attitudes toward
refugees from Ukraine compared to other war-torn areas of the world like
Afghanistan and Syria. NBCLX Political Editor Noah Pransky joined LX News to
talk about the data on Americans’ attitudes toward welcoming refugees.
Watch Video