Attitudes of Refugees Towards Integration: The Experience of South Sudanese Refugees in Adjumani District in Uganda

Abstract

The question of how socioeconomic situations in and around refugees’ settlement in Uganda affect their motivation and attitudes towards integration has not been clearly addressed in the literature. To address this gap, this study explores the integration framework, and uses thematic and content analysis to analyse data collected via in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The study finds that access to socioeconomic factors such as livelihood opportunities and social services, especially education and health, can either motivate and positively affect refugees’ attitudes, or demotivate and negatively affect refugees' attitudes towards integration in the host community. Other motivating factors were family history and success stories of refugees who were successfully integrated in the host community. Suggestions for improving refugee integration included empowerment in vocational skills, access to grants and loans, access to land for agriculture, and access to labour market. These require greater cooperation among different stakeholders, including policy makers, nongovernmental organisations, international organisations, and governments, to coalesce resources and buttress integration of refugees in the host society