Title: Between Solidarity and Concern: Refugee Inflow and Crime Perception
Room: E22
Time: 12.30
Abstract: The literature generally finds no evidence of a causal impact of immigration on crime. Nevertheless, the relationship between immigration and crime remains highly debated in public discourse. In this paper, we investigate how an immigration shock affects crime perception. Specifically, we examine the impact of the massive and unexpected inflow of Ukrainian refugees following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 on crime perception in Poland. Using unique high-frequency data on reported safety concerns, we find a long-lasting decrease in the overall level of safety concerns in regions more affected by the inflow of refugees. We argue that this is due to a shift in local crime perception resulting from increased exposure to war refugees.