Age- and Gender-dependent Differences of Asylum Seekers’ Information Behavior and Online Media Usage

This investigation is about asylum seekers’ information and communications technologies (ICT) as well as online media usage and their motivation to apply a system after arriving in their destination country. As the asylum seekers left their homeland and need to rebuild their life in a different country with a new culture and a foreign language, their (information) behavior might have adapted to the given circumstances. What online systems and social media do asylum seekers apply to satisfy their need for information, entertainment, social interaction, and self-presentation? How do different age groups behave? Are there gender-dependent differences? A mixed method approach with semi-structured interviews while filling in a questionnaire was applied. In total, 45 asylum seekers from the Middle East were interviewed in Germany. The smartphone is an essential media for communication and integration for the asylum seekers. Adults mainly use social media for information whereas children use social media for entertainment purposes, as many adults do not find time for it; and, both groups for social interaction

Rechercheverhalten von Geflüchteten

Im Jahr 2015 kamen über eine Million Geflüchtete nach Deutschland. Eine wichtige Rolle der Integration von Geflüchteten spielt die Informationsversorgung. Um die Schutzsuchenden besser bei der Informationssuche unterstützen zu können, wurde in dieser Studie das Informationsverhalten von sieben Geflüchteten bei der Internetsuche analysiert. Dabei sollte herausgefunden werden, ob die Probanden eine Suchstrategie verfolgen und wenn ja, dann welche. Weiterhin sollte beobachtet werden, welche Suchanfragen gestellt wurden und welche Probleme dabei auftraten. Grundlage der Studie waren sieben Screen-Videoaufnahmen der Suche im Internet während der Bearbeitung von neun Aufgaben. Die Daten stammen aus der Studie von Stiller & Trkulja (2018). Bei der Untersuchung wurde ein Mixed-Method-Ansatz angewendet, wobei die qualitative Auswertung auch einen Ansatz der Grounded Theory Method einbezog. Eine allgemeine Suchstrategie konnte nicht beobachtet werden. Die Probanden wählten Informationsquellen wie die Google-Suchmaschine oder eine Suchmaschine auf bestimmten Webseiten aus, auf denen sie ihren Wissensbedarf in Form einer Suchanfrage formulierten. Dies taten sie oft, indem sie auf Reaktionen der Suchmaschine reagierten oder Terme aus anderen Quellen kopierten. Anschließend evaluierten sie die Ergebnismenge und passten ihre Suchanfrage entsprechend an. Dabei wurden sehr viele neue Anfragen gestellt. Diese wurden jedoch auch oft verändert. Probleme, die hauptsächlich beobachtet wurden, waren Rechtschreib-, Verständnis- und Sprachprobleme. Die Ergebnisse der Studie können angewendet werden, um weitere Forschung anzustoßen und die Geflüchteten besser in ihrer Suche zu unterstützen

The importance of social networks amongst refugees resettled through the Community Sponsorship scheme and The Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme

The dramatic increase in the number of displaced people in the last decade, predominantly hosted by low and middle-income countries, has prompted a reassessment of solutions to ensure international protection and shared responsibilities for refugees. In response, resettlement programmes have been developed and expanded worldwide, allowing the transfer of refugees from first asylum countries to third countries. In 2014, the UK launched the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS), aiming to resettle 20,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict. Through the programmes, refugees are supported by local authorities and an assigned caseworker to aid their integration processes. Simultaneously, sponsorship programmes, allowing individuals to sponsor refugee families and support their integration processes, have emerged in nearly twenty countries. In Europe, the UK developed the first Community Sponsorship (CS) scheme in 2016. Behind the enthusiasm for sponsorship programmes often lies the assumption that sponsored refugees receive better assistance than those resettled by government-led programmes, due to the support provided by volunteers' networks facilitating their integration processes. However, there is a paucity of comparative studies providing evidence supporting this assumption, especially outside Canada, where sponsorship programmes differ significantly from those developed in Europe. Additionally, although the importance of social networks in integration processes is widely recognised, several knowledge gaps exist regarding the formation and development of refugees' social networks and their role in supporting integration processes. Drawing on migration literature and social network analysis, this study addresses these knowledge gaps by comparing the social networks of refugees resettled through VPRS and CS with a view to understanding how different types of social connections and resources they provide shape integration processes. In addition to distinguishing between types of relationships and resources, this study's conceptual framework also considers individual-level factors, such as refugees' socio-demographic and migration characteristics, as well as contextual-level factors in shaping social networks and integration outcomes and processes. The findings reveal significant depth and breadth differences between the social networks developed by CS and VPRS refugees, suggesting that through CS, refugees are more likely to develop broader and more diversified social networks compared to VPRS refugees. Differences in the types of resources available through social networks further highlight that sponsored refugees can access more tailored practical and emotional support than VPRS refugees. Utilising the Indicators of Integration framework, the study indicates that these variations in social networks and resources do not always lead to substantial disparities in integration outcomes, particularly in functional aspects, as the presence of a social network is insufficient to overcome structural barriers hindering integration processes. However, the presence of caring relationships providing emotional support among sponsored refugees' social networks underscores the significance of these relationships in integration processes. Specifically, sponsored refugees reported how these relationships enable them to feel more confident and comfortable, develop relationships with the wider community and increase their willingness and ability to reciprocate, positively impacting their integration processes