In June 2025, Ipsos released its annual global survey on public attitudes toward refugees, coinciding with World Refugee Day. The findings arrive at a moment of unprecedented displacement, with more than 122 million people forcibly uprooted worldwide. Despite deepening geopolitical fragility and significant cuts in humanitarian aid, the survey reveals that public support for the right to seek refuge remains robust across much of the world, though nuanced by growing anxieties and shifting patterns of engagement.
The Scale of Displacement and the Context for the Survey
By the end of April 2025, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that 122 million individuals were forcibly displaced, including 42.7 million classified as refugees. Notably, 73% of these refugees are hosted by low- and middle-income countries, underscoring the disproportionate burden shouldered by nations with fewer resources. This context of escalating need and diminishing humanitarian budgets frames the Ipsos survey, which polled over 22,000 adults across 29 countries between April and May 2025.
Global Support for Refugee Rights
Despite the challenging global environment, the survey found that “two-thirds of the public across 29 countries (67%) continue to support the principle of offering refuge to those in need, with support outweighing opposition across all countries”. While this represents a slight dip of two percentage points from 2024, the overall trend remains positive. Countries such as Sweden, Argentina, the Netherlands, and Australia display particularly strong and consistent support for refugee rights.
Trinh Tu, Managing Director of Ipsos Public Affairs, emphasized the significance of these findings:
“This survey confirms the public’s continued commitment to providing refuge, which is encouraging. It’s also clear from our data that there is an urgent need to address the persistent underlying concerns among the public about asylum seekers’ motivations and integration. A more balanced narrative, acknowledging the diversity of views and experiences among both refugees and the public, would greatly assist this. This is the driving force behind Ipsos’ annual global survey for World Refugee Day – to provide data that informs constructive discussions and solutions that benefit both refugees and local communities.”
Concerns About Motives and Integration
While the majority supports the right to seek refuge, scepticism about the motivations of asylum seekers remains widespread. The survey found that 62% of respondents believe that many asylum seekers are primarily economic migrants rather than individuals fleeing war or persecution. This perception fuels anxieties about border security and the capacity of refugees to integrate and contribute positively to host societies.
In Australia, for example, 51% of respondents believe many asylum seekers are economic migrants, a figure that, while lower than the global average, still represents a significant portion of the population. This scepticism is mirrored globally and has contributed to a gradual increase in the proportion of people supporting stricter border controls. In Australia, 40% now think the country should close its borders to refugees entirely, up 4% over the past two years.
The Role of Wealthier Nations and International Organizations
A recurring theme in the survey is the expectation that wealthier countries should do more to support refugees. A majority (62%) believe that wealthier nations have a moral obligation to provide financial assistance to refugees. The public would most like to see increased financial contributions from international organizations such as the UN and World Bank (39%), as well as from the governments of other wealthy nations (30%).
Citizens in countries including the US, Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Australia express a desire for their governments to increase support for refugees. This sentiment is particularly salient as humanitarian aid budgets face severe reductions, threatening the capacity of organizations to meet the growing needs of displaced populations.
Dominique Hyde, UNHCR’s Director of External Relations, highlighted the urgency of collective action:
“There’s a clear disconnect between compassion and action. The public still believes in the right to seek safety and wants wealthy nations to do more, but the economic backdrop and global political climate are eroding individual support. Needs are more acute than ever. The humanitarian system will wither without a unified effort from governments, organisations, the private sector and the public to build solutions and hope for those forced to flee.”
Declining Personal Engagement
While broad support for the right to seek refuge remains high, the survey reveals a decline in personal engagement. Active support through donations or social media engagement has dropped from 38% in 2024 to 29% in 2025. This trend is attributed to shifting public priorities, particularly economic concerns, and is reflected in Australia, where 77% of respondents reported taking no personal action in support of refugees over the past year, up from 74% in previous years.
Despite this decline in active support, compassion for refugees remains relatively high. The challenge, as noted by both Ipsos and UNHCR, is to translate this compassion into concrete action, particularly as the humanitarian sector faces mounting financial constraints.
Country-Specific Insights: The Case of Australia
Australia exemplifies the nuanced trends captured in the global survey. More than three in four Australians (77%) support the right to seek refuge, a figure that has remained steady over the past five years, aside from a spike in 2022. However, there are signs of a gradual decline in positive perceptions and active engagement:
- 51% believe asylum seekers are primarily economic migrants, though this is down 5% from 2020.
- 40% now support closing Australia’s borders to refugees, a view that has increased by 4% over the past two years.
- 57% believe refugees make a positive contribution to Australia, down from 68% in 20222.
- 77% have not taken any action in support of refugees in the past year.
These findings illustrate the complex interplay between enduring support for humanitarian principles and growing anxieties about integration, security, and economic pressures.
The Impact of Aid Cuts and Political Rhetoric
The survey underscores the impact of deep cuts to humanitarian aid and the increased scapegoating of refugees by some politicians and on social media. These factors contribute to a complex and often polarized public discourse, which can undermine efforts to build inclusive and supportive communities for refugees.
Despite these challenges, the survey’s results suggest that the foundational principle of offering refuge to those in need remains resilient. However, the persistence of concerns about motives and integration, coupled with declining personal engagement, signals the need for renewed efforts to foster understanding and solidarity.
The 2025 Ipsos global survey reveals a world grappling with unprecedented displacement and mounting humanitarian challenges. Yet, public support for the right to seek refuge holds steady, with two-thirds of respondents across 29 countries affirming this principle. At the same time, anxieties about economic migration, integration, and security persist, and personal engagement is waning amid economic uncertainty.
The findings point to a critical juncture: as needs escalate and resources dwindle, the gap between compassion and action threatens to widen.
“The humanitarian system will wither without a unified effort from governments, organisations, the private sector and the public to build solutions and hope for those forced to flee,”
warns Dominique Hyde of UNHCR.
Moving forward, the challenge for policymakers, civil society, and humanitarian organizations is to address public concerns, foster balanced narratives, and mobilize collective action. As Trinh Tu of Ipsos concludes,
“A more balanced narrative, acknowledging the diversity of views and experiences among both refugees and the public, would greatly assist this. This is the driving force behind Ipsos’ annual global survey for World Refugee Day – to provide data that informs constructive discussions and solutions that benefit both refugees and local communities.”
The 2025 survey serves as both a testament to enduring humanitarian values and a call to action in an era of global fragility. It highlights the importance of maintaining and strengthening public support, even as the world faces complex and evolving challenges in refugee protection and integration.