Fair protection : public perceptions of fairness in asylum decision-making

Abstract

This study “unpacks” and identifies key features of public perceptions of the fairness of asylum decision-making, a highly salient policy issue in many countries that has been largely neglected in existing research on public fairness perceptions in policy-making. We analyse to what extent individuals’ evaluations of the fairness of asylum decision-making are affected by their adherence to notions of procedural fairness vis-à-vis asylum seekers and/or distributive fairness vis-à-vis the host country population; and whether these public fairness perceptions depend on the national origin of the asylum seekers. Drawing on original conjoint survey experiments with residents in Germany and Italy, we show that the publics in these countries value both procedural and distributive fairness in asylum decision-making and that fairness perceptions are not influenced by the national origin of asylum seekers. These findings have important implications for research on fairness perceptions in policy-making and for policy debates on asylum in Europe.