An examination of the perceptions of local residents living in Antalya towards migrants from the perspective of social psychological concepts

This thesis examines the perceptions of the local population in Antalya towards Syrian and Ukrainian immigrants from a social psychological perspective. The study included 252 participants (185 females, 67 males), with a mean age of 25.61. The variables measured in the study were perceived threat, negative attitudes, national identification, xenophobia, acculturation strategies, and social distance. Acculturation strategies were divided into accepting and rejecting strategies, while social distance was categorized as sharing private life and sharing social life. The main findings revealed that perceived threat, negative attitudes, and xenophobia towards Syrians were significantly higher compared to those directed at Ukrainians. In contrast, accepting strategies and the tendency to share social life were more strongly associated with Ukrainians. The study also found that an increase in perceived threat was correlated with a decrease in accepting strategies and an increase in social distance. Furthermore, national identification and xenophobia were determined to have negative effects on social distance. Regarding gender differences, males exhibited a higher perceived threat towards Syrians, while females adopted more rejecting strategies towards Syrians. In conclusion, despite both groups having migrated due to war, the local population demonstrated different approaches toward Syrian and Ukrainian immigrants. This finding suggests that perceptions of immigrant groups cannot be explained by a single factor and require a multi-dimensional evaluation. Keywords: Migration, Perceived Threat, National Identification, Xenophobia, Acculturation Strategies, Social Distance