Although generally negative attitudes towards migrants persist among Slovaks, their views on migration and asylum policy have softened since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, indicates research carried out by experimental psychologists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV).
The psychologists compared the attitudes of Slovaks towards migrants after the outbreak of the migration crisis on the EU's eastern border in autumn 2021 with attitudes in the period after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The research showed that Slovaks are more willing to open borders to people in danger when they share a common history, geographical space and values.
The researchers found the same level of xenophobic and anti-migration views as in autumn 2021. According to SAV's scientific team, the war softened the attitudes of people who until recently had very strong exclusive views on migration policy. They still feel uneasiness about or fear of migrants as such, but they are willing to overcome it.
Source: TASR
