UNHCR and Austrian Ombudsman Board present study on asylum

The majority of the Austrian population lacks knowledge and has prejudices when it comes to the issue of asylum. This is the main result of an UNHCR study that was presented in the premises of the Austrian Ombudsman Board on 14 June 2011.

Presenting the study’s main findings, Christoph Pinter of the UNHCR office in Austria pointed out that people who were already in contact with asylum seekers were not only much more open-minded towards them but also tended to a significantly more positive attitude towards the issue of asylum as such.

The question about the difference between asylum seekers, refugees and migrants reveals deficits in basic knowledge. Thus, only one in two respondents believed that asylum seekers came to Austria because of persecution. In addition, 59 percent of the persons participating in the study thought that asylum seekers were more violent and criminal in comparison to other population groups. As much as 69 percent perceive asylum seekers to be a burden to the welfare system.

In her statement, Ombudswoman Terezija Stoisits identified the long duration of the asylum procedure as an important part of the problem. As a consequence, the population had the impression that too many people were cared for by Austrian authorities benefiting from public funding. The resulting negative feelings, however, were not directed against authorities and politicians but, unfortunately, against the asylum seekers. Against the background of her own practical experience as Ombudsman she also emphasised that very few people could distinguish between the different concepts and related issues of the terms refugee, asylum seeker and migrant.