Seeing but Not Changing
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24224486 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sanghoon Park (0000-0001-9459-8880), Hyeonjun Kim (0000-0003-3758-1868), Se Hyeon Sim, Young Hoon Song |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-45 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-08 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Asian Survey (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0004-4687 • E-ISSN: 1533-838X |
| Publisher | University of California Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1525/as.2026.3172311 |
| OpenAlex | W7221040351 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 34 |
Why do negative attitudes toward refugees remain widespread in South Korea despite little direct contact with refugees? Although previous explanations emphasize economic, security, and cultural threats, they do not fully account for the South Korean case. Using survey data collected in 2024, we find that neither objective information about refugees nor subjective perceptions is associated with these negative attitudes, but interest in refugee issues is, with more interest corresponding to more negativity. This association is strongest among individuals with strong ethnic identity and does not replicate among those with strong civic identity. These findings suggest that information and awareness campaigns are unlikely to reduce hostility when the dominant discursive environment is organized around exclusionary frames. Sustained engagement that challenges ethnic boundaries is more likely to shift entrenched attitudes.
attitudes toward refugees · civic identity · ethnic boundaries · Ethnic identity · exclusionary discourse · Public opinion · South Korea · Migration, Racism, and Human Rights · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Social and Intergroup Psychology
Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations
Threatened or Threatening
The contact hypothesis during the European refugee crisis
Refugee exposure and attitudes toward refugees in a developing country context
South African attitudes towards refugee settlement
Immigration, threat perception, and national identity
Migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees
Refugees in the media
The Politicization of Refugee Issues in South Korea
Immigration and the Imagined Community in Europe and the United States
Recycling European Narratives in South Korea’s ‘Refugee Crisis
Identity, security and the nation
Testing the backlash argument
Public Support for Migrant Entrepreneurship
Local Exposure Effect of the 2018 South Korea Refugee Crisis
Contested Identity and Prejudice Against Co-Ethnic Refugees
Personal Contact with Refugees is Key to Welcoming Them
No Country for Asylum Seekers? How Short-Term Exposure to Refugees Influences Attitudes and Voting Behavior in Hungary
Who is welcome? South Korean public opinion on North Koreans and other refugees
Who should be admitted? Conjoint analysis of South Korean attitudes toward immigrants
Strangers in Hostile Lands
Public Attitudes Toward Immigration
European Opinion About Immigration
Refugees, xenophobia, and domestic conflict
Does Exposure to the Refugee Crisis Make Natives More Hostile
The limits of ethnic capital
Public attitudes towards co-ethnic migrant integration
Behind the ethnic-civic distinction
| Highly cited | No |
|---|