Support for Refugee Integration in a Major Refugee-Hosting Country: Evidence from Kenya

What drives public support or opposition to refugee integration in low- and middle-income countries? States have increasingly adopted policies promoting the integration of refugees into local communities and labor markets, even as they simultaneously tighten entry restrictions for asylum-seekers. We examine public attitudes towards an incoming refugee integration policy in Kenya, leveraging a unique window after the policy has been passed but before implementation. Using a nationally representative survey and two embedded experiments, we examine whether support varies by policy dimension and refugee nationality. We find widespread support for refugee integration—including work rights, free movement, and shared services—driven largely by humanitarian concerns and perceived economic benefits such as increased business activity and tax revenues. Citizens who share ethnic kinship with refugees or have close personal contact are especially supportive. Concerns center on economic competition and insecurity, and opposition is strongest toward Somali refugees, often associated with Islamic extremism.