(JB) Luxembourg has responded overwhelmingly positively to what many consider a moral obligation to help refugees, a recent survey has found.

Three quarters of survey respondents (76 percent) said that Luxembourg had a moral obligation to help refugees, compared with 21 percent.

Meanwhile, nearly two thirds (62 percent) said they perceived a large show of solidarity towards refugees, compared with a quarter (24 percent) who disagreed.

The survey involving 819 people was conducted by TNS/ILRES and commissioned by the Luxembourg Families Ministry to gauge public opinion of the steps taken by the government in response to the worst refugee crisis to face Europe since the end of WWII.

“We want to know what people think, not only now but also in future by continuing to survey people to see where they think we could do better,” Families Minister Corinne Cahen said, adding: “I think we're doing our best but there are certainly points where we can do better.”

Ms Cahen concluded that the survey results were very positive for Luxembourg. Three quarters of respondents (76 percent) said they supported the general treatment of refugees in Luxembourg and nearly two thirds (65 percent) said it would be good if their communes welcomed refugees, compared with a quarter.

Meanwhile, 70 percent said that the creation of emergency reception centres in Mamer, Steinfort and Diekirch, was a good step, compared with 25 percent, who were against.

Tensions between host society and refugees

However, responses to certain questions show that tensions exist between refugees and the host society.

More than half of respondents (54 percent) said that they thought the arrival of refugees in Luxembourg would increase unemployment.

While this was balanced to a certain extent by the fact 61 percent considered the highly qualified refugees an oportunity, uncertainty surfaced in perceptions of the government's overall handling of the refugee situation.

A third of respondents (33 percent) said that the government was not coping with the large numbers of displaced people coming to Luxembourg.

There was even less certainty for the future as 36 percent said they were not confident the government would cope better in time.

In line with this, a third of respondents (37 percent) said that they felt Luxembourg had welcomed enough or too many refugees already and should not accept any more.

Furthermore, four percent of respondents said that their personal lives had suffered since the arrival of a large number of refugees in Luxembourg.

Meeting refugees is key

In response to the negative feedback, Minister Cahen said that the key factor of winning hearts and minds was through exposure.

“If you want people to be positive, they have to meet refugees. We're always afraid of thing we don't know. I have to say, among the refugees there are also probably people who want to know and those we don't. Not everybody is a friend. But, I think people who are in contact with the refugees from Syria have had a very positive experience,” the minister said.

The survey results showed that already three percent of respondents had worked with the refugees on a voluntary basis. If representative of the entire population, it means that around 17,000 people have worked voluntarily with refugees.

The minister underlined that while the country did not necessarily need more volunteers, it would be beneficial if residents kept an open mind when refugees are rehoused in more permananent accommodation in communes and districts across Luxembourg.

“When someone comes into your village or district, try to integrate them like everybody else. Talk to them, bring them with your to your local clubs and associations,” the minister said.

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