World leaders, celebrities and artists mourn death of Moroccan child Rayan

ANKARA: A new survey published by Turkey’s Social Democracy Foundation, known as SODEV, reveals negative feelings toward Syrian refugees in Turkey is on the rise.

Turkey, home to 3.7 million registered refugees from war-torn Syria, the world’s largest refugee population, has seen tensions in recent months between locals and Syrians, mostly driven by domestic politics and economic difficulties.

According to the SODEV survey, 66 percent of respondents think Syrians should return to their homeland, with this sentiment higher among voters of opposition parties.

More than half of those voters prefer the repatriation of Syrians, with this rate at about 42 percent among voters of the ruling Justice and Development Party.

Turkish respondents broadly describe Syrians with negatively, with 45 percent thinking that Syrian refugees are dangerous people who could pose challenges in the…