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Europeans favor Christian asylum seekers over Muslims, study claims

A new study revealed that Europeans were more likely to favor Christian asylum seekers over Muslims. The results also showed that European citizens from 15 different countries were more accepting of refugees with high employability and those who experienced persecution in their homeland.

The study was conducted by Dominik Hangartner from the University of Zurich (UZH) with the help of his colleagues at Stanford University. The survey involved 18,000 respondents from 15 different European countries who were presented with 180,000 fictitious profiles of asylum seekers.

Demonstrators hold placards during a refugees welcome march in London, Britain March 19, 2016. | REUTERS/Neil Hall

"Our results reveal that not all refugees are equal in the eyes of the European public," Hangartner stated in a UZH press release. "The respondents favored asylum seekers who were more likely to contribute to the economy," he added.

The respondents preferred refugees with higher vocational qualifications and those who possessed language skills applicable to the host country. Doctors and teachers had a higher probability of acceptance than asylum seekers who had no previous occupation.

Victims of persecution were also more favored than refugees who were looking for better economic opportunities. Those who suffered torture had a higher probability of acceptance compared to those who were not at risk. Profiles with major inconsistencies were less likely to be accepted.

Religious considerations also played a significant role. Christians had an 11 percent higher probability of being accepted compared to Muslims but Christians were only slightly favored over agnostics. Hangartner suggested that the results refleced an anti-Muslim bias rather than a explicit preference for Christians.

The report also revealed that the anti-Muslim bias was stronger on those who identify with the political right.

"The strong preference for high-skilled, Christian asylum seekers who can speak the language of the host country poses major challenges for policymakers whose goal is to accept and integrate refugees," Hangartner said in a UZH press release.

According to a Pew study last June, a majority of Europeans disapproved of the way the E.U. is handling the refugee crisis. The results showed that strongest disapproval came from Greece, Sweden and Italy.