Media portrayal of Ukrainian refugees was unusually positive

The study, published today in the British Journal of Social Psychology, found that the media coverage of the refugee crisis in the first few weeks following the Russian invasion was unusually positive compared to typical reporting of other refugee crises. 

There was an emphasis placed on the cultural similarities of Ukrainian refugees with their country of refuge, and how Ukrainian refugees were vulnerable and deserving of help. 

The study found that in contrast to refugees from other countries, for example those fleeing the war in Syria, Ukrainian refugees were portrayed as 'contingently' refugees, otherwise happy in their country and only forced into leaving due to an unexpected threat. However, more usually refugees are described as having choices and plans, with their motives for seeking refuge questioned, as if refuge-seeking is a normal part of their lives.

The study analysed 60 pieces of English language media coverage of the crisis across random dates in February and March 2022. It describes a 'spectrum of othering' in the media when describing the plight of refugees, with the crisis in Ukraine at the very positive end. Whilst none of the new stories mentions race explicitly, the authors see the Whiteness of the refugees as a 'self-evident' factor in the reporting, and a subject deserving of further research.

Authors Rahul Sambaraju from the University of Edinburgh and Natasha Shrikant from University of Colorado-Boulder said:

"The ready accommodation and inclusion of refugees is rare in our world, especially in the more well-to-do parts of the world. Discursive researchers have previously shown that refugees are often presented unfavourably, for example as incompetent, a burden on the economy, criminal, or a threat to the national integrity of arrival places.

"By comparison, Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion have been evaluated very favourably. Giving them shelter and help has been taken for granted, and their actions have been presented as unproblematic and expected. 

"It is beyond the reach of our paper to claim that the Whiteness or 'Europeanness' of Ukrainians is behind these more favourable descriptions. However, our findings do show the media treating Ukrainian refugees as contingent refugees and as similar to those who are providing help and shelter. We hope that further research will help to highlight these differences, to allow for similar descriptions of refugees wherever in the world they come from, and similar inclusive policies from governments."

Read the study here.