Life satisfaction levels and socio-economic status of Syrian refuges: A case study of Konya province

Abstract

It is an issue of concern what the socio-economic status of the Syrian refugees, who have been forced to migrate to Turkey since 2011 due to the civil war in their country and have settled in different provinces of our Turkey, are, which conditions they live in, what they are engaged in, and whether they intend to return to their country if the war ends, and etc.
 Entering Turkey via such border provinces as Hatay, Kilis, Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, Syrian refugees come to Konya after living in these provinces for a certain period of time and continue their lives by establishing a new life for themselves here in Konya. Over time, Syrian refugees have become the majority in the neighborhoods where they live and have continued their socio-economic activities by establishing a similar life here in Konya to what they used to have in their country.
 It is seen that the intermediate manpower, which is difficult to supply in the labor market, is met by refugees, and that Syrian refugees are generally preferred because of difficulties in recruiting for journeymen, apprenticeships and similar jobs, and that especially Turkmen refugees coming from Aleppo and its rural areas are extremely successful and preferred.
 This study, within the framework of 19 questions, tries to examine when Syrian refugees came to Turkey, what jobs they do, what their marital status are, how many children they have, whether their children go to school, how their relations with their neighbors are, whether they want Turkish citizenship, whether they have work permits, whether they want to return to Syria, what ideas they have about working life, and so on.
 Despite their having some assurances with the refugee legislation, the problems and thoughts of these people, who prefer our country because of its socio-cultural characteristics and try to continue their lives here, are worth examining, and their own opinions about present and future are extremely important and guiding.