GENEVA - Attitudes to refugees are hardening in some Western countries, but three in four people continue to believe that those fleeing war or persecution should be able to seek safety in other countries.

That’s according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, which on Tuesday published the findings of a global survey into how asylum seekers and refugees are viewed in the Global North and South.

The UNHCR poll conducted with Ipsos found that 73 per cent of people in 52 countries agreed that people “should be able to take refuge in other countries, including their own”.

But the data showed that support for providing refuge has fallen “in a number of countries” from the high levels in 2022, in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

People surveyed in countries with a long tradition of hosting vulnerable newcomers such as Uganda and Kenya were generally more optimistic about refugee integration - but some major hosts and Western countries were “less positive” - the UN agency said.

UNHCR explained that although one in three people believed that refugees would positively contribute to their country's labour market, economy and culture, the same number held the opposite view.

The UN agency survey also revealed concerns about the impact of refugees on national security and public services, notably in countries with large refugee populations, the UN agency said, ahead of World Refugee Day on Thursday.