Abstract
This study explores the association between attitudes toward the rights of refugees and three dimensions of religion (religious practice, religiosity, and self-assigned religious affiliation), after taking into account personal factors (age and sex) and psychological factors (extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism) among a sample of 987 students between the ages of 14 and 18 years in England and Wales. Religious practice was assessed by two factors, personal prayer and worship attendance. Religiosity was assessed by three factors, thinking about religious issues, reconsidering religious issues, and belief in God. Self-assigned religious affiliation distinguished among four groups, Protestant Christians, Catholic Christians, Muslims, and religiously unaffiliated. The data demonstrated the importance of personal factors, with females holding more positive attitudes toward the rights of refugees, and the importance of psychological factors, with lower psychoticism scores being associated with more positive attitudes toward the rights of refugees. Among the dimension of religion, religiosity provided stronger prediction of individual differences in attitudes toward the rights of refugees than either religious practice or self-assigned religious affiliation. In particular, adolescents who often gave thought to religious issues held more positive attitudes toward the rights of refugees.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
Citations from scripture are from The Revised English Bible, Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, 1989.
- 2.
In the Qur’an references the first number is the chapter, sura, and the second number is the
the verse, aya.
References
Akcapar, S. K. (2006). Conversion as a migration strategy in a transit country: Iranian Shiites becoming Christians in Turkey. International Migration Review, 40(4), 817–853.
Alipui, N., & Gerke, N. (2018). The refugee crisis and the rights of children: Perspectives on community-based resettlement programs. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 159, 91–98.
Allport, G. W., & Ross, J. M. (1967). Personal religious orientation and prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 432–443.
Anthony, F.-V. (2013). Public significance of religion with regard to socioeconomic rights in the multireligious context of Tamil Nadu, India. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Human rights and the impact of religion (pp. 205–244). Brill.
Anthony, F.-V., & Sterkens, C. (2018). Extending political rights to immigrants and refugees. In C. Sterkens & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Political and judicial rights through the prism of religious belief (pp. 154–183). Springer.
Barbulescu, R. (2017). Still a beacon of human rights? Considerations on the EU response to the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Politics, 22(2), 301–308.
Beckford, J. A. (Ed.). (2015). Migration and religion, (volumes I & II). Elgar research reviews in social and political science. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Beit-Hallahmi, B., & Argyle, M. (1997). The psychology of religious behaviour, belief and experience. Routledge.
Benhabib, S. (2004). The rights of others: Alien residents and citizens. Cambridge University Press.
Beyani, C. (1995). The needs of refugee women: A human-rights perspective. Gender and Development, 3(2), 29–35.
Botvar, P. K. (2013). Religion and attitudes towards socioeconomic human rights: An empirical study of young adults in Norway. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Human rights and the impact of religion (pp. 245–263). Brill.
Botvar, P. K., & Sjöborg, A. (2018). Social conflicts, religion and human rights support: A study of young Christians and Muslims in Scandinavia. In C. Sterkens & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Political and judicial rights through the prism of religious belief (pp. 255–274). Springer.
Carlson, M., Jakli, L., & Linos, K. (2018). Refugees misdirected: How information, misinformation, and rumors shape refugees’ access to fundamental rights. Virginia Journal of International Law, 57(3), 539–573.
Costello, C. (2016). The human rights of migrants and refugees in European law. Oxford University Press.
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16, 297–334.
DeVellis, R. F. (2003). Scale development: Theory and applications. Sage.
Essomba, M. À. (2017). The right to education of children and youngsters from refugee families in Europe. Intercultural Education, 28(2), 206–218.
Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1976). Psychoticism as a dimension of personality. Hodder and Stoughton.
Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1991). Manual of the Eysenck personality scales. Hodder and Stoughton.
Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, E., & Qasmiyeh, Y. M. (2010). Muslim asylum-seekers and refugees: Negotiating identity, politics and religion in the UK. Journal of Refugee Studies, 23(3), 294–314.
Francis, L. J. (1992). Is psychoticism really a dimension of personality fundamental to religiosity? Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 645–652.
Francis, L. J. (1993). The dual nature of the Eysenckian neuroticism scales: A question of sex differences? Personality and Individual Differences, 15, 43–59.
Francis, L. J. (2007). Introducing the new indices of religious orientation (NIRO): Conceptualisation and measurement. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 10, 585–602.
Francis, L. J., Brown, L. B., & Philipchalk, R. (1992). The development of an abbreviated form of the revised Eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQR-A): Its use among students in England, Canada, the USA and Australia. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 443–449.
Francis, L. J., & Hermans, C. A. M. (2009). Psychological health and attitude toward Christianity: A study among pupils attending Catholic schools in the Netherlands. Journal of Religious Education, 57, 47–58.
Francis, L. J., & Penny, G. (2014). Gender differences in religion. In V. Saroglou (Ed.), Religion, personality and social behaviour (pp. 313–337). Psychology Press.
Francis, L. J., & Robbins, M. (2013). Religion, personality and human rights: An empirical study among adolescents in England and Wales distinguishing between religious identity and textual authority among Christians and Muslims. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Human rights and the impact of religion (pp. 97–118). Brill.
Francis, L. J., Robbins, M., ap Siôn, T., Lewis, C. A., & Barnes, L. P. (2007). Psychological health and attitude toward Christianity among Protestant and Catholic sixth-form pupils in Northern Ireland. Pastoral Psychology, 56, 157–164.
Francis, L. J., Robbins, M., Louden, S. H., & Haley, J. M. (2001). A revised psychoticism scale for the revised Eysenck personality questionnaire: A study among clergy. Psychological Report, 88, 1131–1134.
Francis, L. J., Robbins, M., Santosh, R., & Bhanot, S. (2008). Religion and mental health among Hindu young people in England. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 11, 341–347.
Fullerton, M. (2017). Refugees and the primacy of European human rights law. UCLA Journal of International Law & Foreign Affairs, 21(1), 45–69.
Gennerich, C., & Ziebertz, H.-G. (2016). Human rights and value priorities. In H.-G. Ziebertz & E. H. Ballin (Eds.), Freedom of religion in the twenty-first century: A human rights perspective on the relation between politics and religion (pp. 207–238). Brill.
Giordan, G., & Zrinščak, S. (2018). One pope, two churches: Refugees, human rights and religion in Croatia and Italy. Social Compass, 65(1), 62–78.
Goldenziel, J. I. (2014). Regulating human rights: International organizations, flexible standards, and international refugee law. Chicago Journal of International Law, 14(2), 453–492.
Goldenziel, J. I. (2016). The curse of the nation-state: Refugees, migration, and security in international law. Arizona State Law Journal, 48(3), 579–636.
Helton, A. C. (1994). Displacement and human rights: Current dilemmas in refugee protection. Journal of International Affairs, 47(2), 379–398.
Hirsch, A., & Bell, N. (2017). The right to have rights as a right to enter: Addressing a lacuna in the international refugee protection regime. Human Rights Review, 18(4), 417–437.
Ibn Ishaq, M. (1955). Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah: The life of Muhammad (A. Guillaume, Trans.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ilgit, A., & Klotz, A. (2018). Refugee rights or refugees as threats? Germany’s new asylum policy. British Journal of Politics & International Relations, 20(3), 613–631.
Kay, W. K., & Francis, L. J. (1996). Drift from the churches: Attitude toward Christianity during childhood and adolescence. University of Wales Press.
Kjærum, M. (2002). Refugee protection between state interests and human rights: Where is Europe heading? Human Rights Quarterly, 24(2), 513–536.
Koehler, G. (2016). The fundamental rights of refugees: Where have they gone? Global Social Policy, 16(3), 311–314.
Lambert, H. (2005). The European convention on human rights and the protection of refugees: Limits and opportunities. Refugee Survey Quarterly, 24(2), 39–55.
Oviedo, L., & Canteras, M. (2018). Religion and political rights in the Spanish context: Looking for developments. In C. Sterkens & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Political and judicial rights through the prism of religious belief (pp. 23–44). Springer.
Peters, M. A., & Besley, T. (2015). The refugee crisis and the right to political asylum. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 47(13/14), 1367–1374.
Peters, M. A., & Besley, T. (2017). The refugee crisis and the right to political asylum. Geopolitics, History & International Relations, 9(1), 7–16.
Reed, E. D. (2010). Refugee rights and state sovereignty: Theological perspectives on the ethics of territorial borders. Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, 30(2), 59–78.
Rodrigues Araújo, A. M. (2014). The qualification for being a refugee under EU law: Religion as a reason for persecution. European Journal of Migration and Law, 16(4), 535–558.
Rogobete, S. E., & Reisz, R. D. (2018). Religion, political and judicial rights in post-communist, post-atheist spaces: An empirical analysis among youth in Romania. In C. Sterkens & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Political and judicial rights through the prism of religious belief (pp. 95–121). Springer.
Rohan, M. (2014). Refugee family reunification rights: A basis in the European court of human rights’ family reunification jurisprudence. Chicago Journal of International Law, 15(1), 347–375.
Sahin, A. (2017). Dignity of difference and recognition of interdependence: Reimagining Islamic social ethics in within the context of European Muslim diaspora. Crucible: The Journal of Christian Social Ethics, 26–40.
Sahin, A. (2018). The contribution of religions to the common good in pluralistic societies: An Islamic perspective. In M. L. Pirner, J. Lahnemann, W. Haussmann, & S. Schwarz (Eds.), Public theology, religious diversity, and interreligious learning (pp. 27–40). Routledge.
Sarkin, J. (2018). Respecting and protecting the lives of migrants and refugees: The need for a human rights approach to save lives and find missing persons. International Journal of Human Rights, 22(2), 207–236.
Strauch, P. (2017). When stopping the smuggler means repelling the refugee: International human rights law and the European Union’s operation to combat smuggling in Libya’s territorial sea. Yale Law Journal, 126(8), 2421–2448.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). (2007). Guidelines on international protection: Religion-based refugee claims under Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, 28 April 2004 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva. Refugee Survey Quarterly, 26(2), 109–120.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). (2011). UNHCR resettlement handbook. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Unser, A., Döhnert, S., & Ziebertz, H.-G. (2018). Attitudes towards refugee rights in thirteen countries: A multi-level analysis of the impact and interaction of individual and socio-cultural predictors. In C. Sterkens & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Political and judicial rights through the prism of religious belief (pp. 275–302). Springer.
van der Ven, J. A. (2013). Towards a legitimate role of religion in the domain of socioeconomic rights: An empirical study among adolescents in north west European countries. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Human rights and the impact of religion (pp. 167–203). Brill.
Vedsted-Hansen, J. (2010). The European convention on human rights, counter-terrorism, and refugee protection. Refugee Survey Quarterly, 29(4), 189–206.
Watt, W. M. (1956). Muhammad at Medina. Oxford University Press.
Watt, W. M. (1979). Muhmmad at Mecca. Oxford University Press.
Webb, R. J., & Asa’d, F. J. (2018). Young Palestinian Muslim support for judicial and political human rights. In C. Sterkens & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Political and judicial rights through the prism of religious belief (pp. 123–143). Springer.
Webb, R. J., Ziebertz, H.-G., Curran, J., & Reindl, M. (2012). Human rights among Muslims and Christians in Palestine and Germany. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Tensions within and between religions and human rights (pp. 177–201). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004218697_008
Zaccaria, F., Anthony, F.-V., & Sterkens, C. (2018). Religion for the political rights of immigrants and refugees? An empirical exploration among Italian students. In C. Sterkens & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Political and judicial rights through the prism of religious belief (pp. 45–70). Springer.
Ziebertz, H.-G. (2016). Human dignity – The foundation of political human rights? Empirical research among youth in Germany. Journal of Beliefs and Values, 37, 151–171.
Ziebertz, H.-G., & Reindl, M. (2012). Religious socialisation and values as predictors of human rights attitudes. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Tensions within and between religions and human rights (pp. 223–247). Brill.
Weblinks
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (CSR) and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (PSR). http://www.unhcr.org/3b66c2aa10. Accessed 22 October 2018.
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf. Accessed 18 October 2018.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CCPR.aspx. Accessed 18 October 2018.
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx. Accessed 18 October 2018.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/. Accessed 18 October 2018.
UK Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/42/data.pdf. Accessed 18 October 2018.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). http://www.unhcr.org/publications/brochures/3b779dfe2/protecting-refugees-questions-answers.htmll. Accessed 18 October 2018.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Francis, L.J., McKenna, U., Sahin, A. (2021). Religion and the Rights of Refugees: An Empirical Enquiry Among Adolescents in England and Wales. In: Ziebertz, HG., Zaccaria, F. (eds) The Ambivalent Impact of Religion on Human Rights. Religion and Human Rights, vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70404-9_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70404-9_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-70403-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-70404-9
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyPhilosophy and Religion (R0)