Identity, trust, and the experiences of refugees during a COVID-19 lockdown
Name
journal.pone.0271977.pdf
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717.34 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
5100e88cd15bc05f0f4b0f4def19f8ee
Author(s)
Nungsari, Melati
Chuah, Hui Yin
Flanders, Sam
Date Issued
August 1, 2022
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Citation
Nungsari, Melati, Chuah, Hui Yin and Flanders, Sam. 2022. "Identity, trust, and the experiences of refugees during a COVID-19 lockdown." 17 (8).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
This paper examines the experiences of refugees in a developing country during its first COVID-19 lockdown by utilizing a two-stage qualitative data analysis of 39 interviews with refugees and asylum-seekers. We find that their experiences during the lockdown are shaped by identity, trauma and help from external parties–such as community leaders and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Experiences during the pandemic in turn moderate the relationship between policy changes and trust in domestic authority figures, which consequently affects attitudes towards and compliance with public health measures put in place to contain the pandemic. We then explore the role of identity in refugees’ pandemic experiences by comparing the differences between two refugee groups (Syrians and Rohingyas), validating them by utilizing comparative thematic analysis. Finally, the paper presents policy implications for crisis response in developing countries by suggesting improvements that can be made on the ground regarding the delivery of aid and assistance to vulnerable groups.
MIT Department
Sloan School of Management
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271977
