Confronting Compassion Fatigue: Understanding the arc of public support for displaced populations in Turkey, Colombia, and Europe
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Highlights
Compassion for displaced Syrians, Venezuelans, and Ukrainians in Turkey, Colombia, and Europe is fading as public anxiety over housing, jobs, and identity deepens as the displacement endures.
- Turkey hosted nearly 4 million Syrians, Colombia nearly 3 million Venezuelans, and Europe more than 5 million Ukrainians; initial generosity has given way to anxiety over housing, jobs, and public services.
- Concerns vary by setting: in Turkey, cultural identity worries often outpace job fears; in Europe, housing pressures dominate; in Colombia, informality in the labour market has intensified perceived competition.
- Grassroots solidarity cannot substitute for state planning; reliance on private housing and volunteers is unsustainable, and without clear timelines, perceptions of an open-ended burden erode public support.
- Governments should adopt dual-intent approaches that prepare for both integration and return, communicate transition plans clearly, and frame hosting as delivering shared benefits rather than as charity alone.
Historic levels of global displacement have put intense pressure on systems designed to protect people fleeing conflict, instability, and persecution. Three cases stand out for having triggered a particularly generous response amid enormous upheaval: Turkey's reception of nearly 4 million Syrians since 2011, Colombia's hosting of nearly 3 million Venezuelans who have arrived since 2015, and Europe's welcome of more than 5 million Ukrainians (with nearly 2 million in Poland alone).
This report examines the ebb and flow of public support for forced migrants in these three cases. It highlights factors that have contributed to initial widespread solidarity, ways in which support has been sustained over time, and when and why it begins to fade. The report concludes by drawing lessons from these case studies on what policymakers can do to better anticipate and address compassion fatigue.
As the study notes, “While compassion is extremely powerful, it is also highly vulnerable to fatigue. In the long term, politicians must anticipate the gradual ebbing of solidarity by putting in place sound policies to meet practical community needs amid large-scale migration.”
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Three Case Studies: Perceptions of Syrians, Ukrainians, and Venezuelans
A. Syrians in Turkey
B. Venezuelans in Colombia
C. Ukrainians in Europe
3 Waxing and Waning Public Support: Trends across Case Studies
A. What Factors Explain Solidarity towards Refugees?
B. What Factors Can Erode Public Support and Cause Compassion Fatigue?
4 Conclusions and Policy Recommendations
Integration Futures Working Group
The Integration Futures Working Group convenes senior European policymakers and others to debate forward-looking integration policy through peer exchange, original research, and off-the-record dialogue to achieve better integration outcomes.
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