Migration Reframed? Multilingual analysis on the stance shift in Europe during the Ukrainian crisis. (Extended Abstract)

Extended Abstract for NetSci-X 2023. See https://zenodo.org/records/7930657 for the full paper.

Our work investigates how the 2022 Ukrainian crisis influenced European attitudes towards migration, especially in terms of media representation and public perception. Using a multilingual stance detection approach, the study analyzed 5.5 million Twitter posts from 565 European news outlets over a year starting from September 2021.

Key findings include:

1. Terminology Shift: The discussion around migration has shifted, with terms like "migrant" being replaced by "refugee," often with added qualifiers such as "real refugees." This change in language reflects a more sympathetic portrayal of Ukrainian refugees compared to other migrant groups.
2. Public Perception: The war led to a noticeable, though varied, shift in public attitudes towards migration. While there was a general trend of increased sympathy towards Ukrainian refugees, the extent and stability of this shift differed significantly across countries.
3. National Differences: The study found considerable national variation in the response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, indicating that local context and existing attitudes towards migration play a significant role in shaping public opinion.

Overall, while there was a reframing of migration discourse favoring Ukrainian refugees, the impact on broader public perception of migration remains complex and diverse across different European nations.