An analysis of question style and type in official Finnish asylum interview transcripts

Abstract

Interviews with asylum seekers are an important part of investigating the applicant's need of international protection. Few studies have examined if the questions used in interviews allow detailed and accurate narratives. In the current study, we analysed question style, question type, and question order from interviews of 80 official asylum cases realised by Finnish state authorities in 2017-2018. In accordance with best practise, questions were predominantly asked in an information-gathering style. However, four-fifths of the questions were closed questions, and onetenth were open questions. The recommended question order was followed to a small degree. Possibilities on how to improve the quantity and the accuracy of the information elicited from the interviews are discussed. Future research should assess which type of questions that are most efficient in eliciting relevant information within the asylum context as well as investigating the accuracy of the interpretation.

Urgent issues and prospects at the intersection of culture, memory, and witness interviews: Exploring the challenges for research and practice

“…Fourth, differences in the use of words and concepts, for example, different categorizations of relatives or different calendar systems, might increase misunderstandings (Granhag et al, 2017). Similar misunderstandings have been found in real‐life asylum interviews (Skrifvars et al, 2020; van Veldhuizen, 2017). Finally, officials continue to consider demeanour (e.g., non‐verbal cues such as eye contact and nodding) in their judgements, despite these cues’ unreliability as credibility indicators (Berg & Millbank, 2009; Herlihy & Turner, 2009).…”

“…Asylum officials might falsely perceive a narrative as untruthful if it does not meet the expected level of directness and emotional expressiveness. Third, recent findings indicate that asylum officials predominantly ask closed questions, despite best practice guidelines underlining the importance of open questions (Skrifvars et al, 2020; van Veldhuizen et al, 2018). This is especially problematic for applicants originating from collectivistic cultures that favour an implicit communication style, who may provide fewer details than Western officials expect (Gyulai, 2013).…”

Asylum Claims based on Sexual Orientation: A Review of Psycho-legal Issues in Credibility Assessments

“…To our knowledge, only two studies have investigated whether the type of questions officials ask allow asylum-seekers to provide accurate and elaborate statements. Analyzing a Finnish and a Dutch sample of asylum interview transcripts, the studies found that asylum officials asked predominantly closed questions (Skrifvars et al, 2020;van Veldhuizen et al, 2018). Only one report reviewed in the present study investigated the frequency of question types in interviews with sexual minorities.…”

“…The second strand has focused on parameters within the control of the asylum authority, or "system variables." These include the types of questions officials ask (e.g., Skrifvars et al, 2020), the accuracy of indicators used to assess the credibility of a claim (e.g., Maegherman et al, 2018), and the validity in testing applicants' knowledge of places to verify their provenance (van Veldhuizen et al, 2017). However, this body of research has focused on asylum decision-making in general and has so far overlooked the unique challenges related to specific types of asylum claims related to applicants' identities.…”

Eliciting information in official Finnish asylum interviews

“…Finally, both studies included qualitative observations, illustrating difficulties that asylum officials face in interviews, such as difficult questions, cultural differences and misunderstandings (Skrifvars et al, 2020; van Veldhuizen et al, 2018). A secondary aim of the current study was to further examine some of these difficulties more systematically.…”