A multiple case study on transit migration of Syrians to Serbia

This study presents a comparative analysis of the views held by members of the Serbian population regarding Syrian refugees who are temporarily residing in Serbia, as well as the views held by Syrians regarding Serbs and Serbia. In this study, which employs a qualitative design and is structured as a case study, interviews were conducted with 30 Serbs and 8 Syrians in order to jointly consider the perspectives of both the Serbian community and the Syrian refugees in Serbia. In order to understand whether the physical and social distance creates a change in the views of the local population towards asylum seekers, the Serbian participants of the study were selected from two different groups: those living near the asylum centre and those living far away from the centres. As a result of the research, it was found that Serbs have generally positive and empathetic views towards Syrians, even though they are mainly concerned about security, and there are two reasons for this. The first of these positive and empathetic views stems from their experiences of displacement due to the war in the Balkans and the second from the fact that Syrians do not intend to stay in Serbia. The findings that Serbs have positive opinions towards them were also confirmed by the Syrian participants. Syrian asylum seekers in Serbia face various challenges, such as limited access to education, barriers to integration and economic constraints. Although they have experienced discrimination in some cases, in general, the interaction of asylum seekers with the local population is positive.