Intentions Survey with Syrian Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Europe 2025

Austria, Cyprus, Germany...and 2 more, 2025

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Reference ID

ECA_2025_ISSR_v01_M

Producer(s)

UN Refugee Agency

Collection(s)

United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)

Metadata

Documentation in PDF DDI/XML JSON

Study website

Created on

Jul 10, 2025

Last modified

Jul 10, 2025

Page views

4811

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Identification

Survey ID number

ECA_2025_ISSR_v01_M

Title

Intentions Survey with Syrian Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Europe 2025

Abbreviation or Acronym

ISSR 2024

Country/Economy

Name	Country code
Austria	AUT
Cyprus	CYP
Germany	DEU
Netherlands	NLD
United Kingdom	GBR

Study type

Sample Frame, Households [sf/hh]

Abstract

This dataset presents the results of a regional online survey conducted by UNHCR from 14 March to 14 April 2025 to assess the intentions of Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers residing in 14 European countries. A total of 3,736 respondents, representing 17,378 household members, participated in the anonymous, self-administered survey. The data capture intended future movements, factors influencing decision-making, information needs, and interest in return-related activities. The survey aims to inform protection and solutions programming by ensuring refugee perspectives are central to policy discussions.

Kind of Data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Unit of Analysis

Household

Version

Version Description

Version 2.1: Edited, cleaned, and anonymised data.

Version Date

2025-06-16

Scope

Notes

The scope includes:

Demographic profile
Legal status and country of residence
Intentions to remain, move onward, or return to Syria
Factors influencing decision-making
Interest in voluntary return and go-and-see visits
Information needs related to return or integration

Topics

Topic
Protection

Keywords

Syrian refugees intentions

Coverage

Geographic Coverage

Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and other EU countries hosting at least 10,000 Syrian refugees or asylum-seekers

Universe

Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers aged 18 and above residing in 14 European countries at the time of data collection

Producers and sponsors

Primary investigators

Name	Affiliation
UN Refugee Agency	UN

Sampling

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability sampling using a respondent-assisted (snowball) approach. The survey was disseminated via UNHCR Help webpages, social media, refugee-led organizations, and community networks. Automatic screening excluded non-Syrian nationals and individuals who were not refugees or asylum-seekers.

Weighting

Each interview was weighted (int_weight) to reflect the relative size of the Syrian refugee and asylum-seeker population in the respondent’s country of residence, based on UNHCR population statistics as of end-2024. This ensures proportional representation in regional analyses.

Survey instrument

Questionnaires

The questionnaire included closed-ended questions covering demographic characteristics, legal status, intentions to stay, move onward, or return to Syria, factors influencing these decisions, interest in voluntary return or go-and-see visits, and information needs. The survey was self-administered online and available in Arabic.

Data collection

Dates of Data Collection

Start	End
2025-03-14	2025-04-14

Mode of data collection

Self-administered online

Data Collectors

Name	Affiliation	Abbreviation
UN Refugee Agency	UN	UNHCR

Data Collection Notes

The survey was self-administered online and designed to be completed in 5–10 minutes. It was anonymous and automatically excluded respondents who did not self-identify exclusively as Syrian nationals or who were not refugees or asylum-seekers. Dissemination was conducted via UNHCR Help platforms, social media, refugee-led organizations, and community networks.

Data Access

Citation requirements

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (2025). Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom: Intentions Survey with Syrian Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Europe. Accessed from: https://microdata.unhcr.org

Contacts

Name	Affiliation	Email
Curation team	UNHCR	dencomdl@unhcr.org

Metadata production

DDI Document ID

DDI_ECA_2025_ISSR_v01_M

Producers

Name	Abbreviation	Affiliation	Role
UN Refugee Agency	UNHCR	UN	Metadata producer
Development Data Group	DECDG	The World Bank	Metadata adapted for World Bank Microdata Library

Date of Metadata Production

2025-06-16

Metadata version

DDI Document version

Identical to a metadata (UNHCR_EU_2025_INT) published on UNHCR catalog (https://microdata.unhcr.org/index.php/home). Some of the metadata fields have been edited.

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