Destination choice of asylum applicants in Europe from three conflict-affected countries

ABSTRACT From the early 2010s onward, the number of asylum seekers in Europe has gradually increased, with 2015, in particular, experiencing a significant rise. These asylum seekers have mainly come from conflict-affected countries. In 2015, for instance, Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis accounted for the top three nationalities of first-time asylum applicants in the European Union. This study uses count data on Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi asylum seekers in 25 European countries over the sample period of 2001 to 2016 and investigates their destination choice within a framework of generalised linear models for modelling count data. The explanatory variables include economic and cultural factors, which the results show significantly, influenced the flows of asylum seekers. For instance, a high level of income per person employed in a European country was a common pull factor for Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi asylum seekers. The three groups of asylum seekers also shared a common preference for cultures in which people were individualistic, long-term orientated and tolerant of unorthodox behaviour and ideas.