The treatment of asylum seekers is a key issue in many countries, with public opinion on the issue polarized: some policymakers focus on the need for border security to keep asylum seekers out and “protect” their countries, while others focus on the urgent needs of the asylum seekers themselves.
In March 2023, the Canadian government announced plans to close Roxham Road, an unofficial border crossing between the United States and Canada that was frequently used by asylum seekers entering Canada. The announcement added fuel to an ongoing debate in Canada about how to treat asylum seekers.
To explore the content of this debate, and in particular the role of values, we analyse discourse about asylum seekers on Twitter (now X) at the time of the Loxham Road closure.
The role of social media
Social media can play a key role in understanding the causes of polarized debates regarding asylum seekers, as 63% of the world’s population uses social media, meaning it can be used to analyse a wide range of opinions and worldviews.
The value of studying public opinion towards asylum seekers through social media platforms is supported by research showing the link between social media and behavior. For example, some studies have shown a direct link between the use of moralistic rhetoric on social media and associated violent protests.
So what were people saying about asylum seekers on Twitter at the time Wroxham Road was closed, and what gave rise to the differing views?
Personal values and attitudes
Our study focused on whether people use personal values when expressing their attitudes towards asylum seekers. Personal values are well suited to understanding different perspectives on asylum seekers because they reveal the psychological basis for viewing asylum seekers negatively or positively.
Previous research has found that two values - preservation and self-transcendence – are crucial to understanding why people have conflicting views on immigration. People who value preservation tend to see immigrants as a threat to established traditions, norms and security, and therefore tend to view immigrants negatively.
A sign for Roxham Road near the Canada-U.S. border in Hemingford, Quebec, in March 2023. The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes
In contrast, people who value self-transcendence tend to view immigration positively, as they are more likely to believe that immigration benefits the welfare and interests of others.
To explore whether protection and self-transcendence were used to express attitudes towards asylum seekers when Wroxham Road was closed, we collected tweets over an eight-day period in March 2023 (the days leading up to the Wroxham Road closure, the announcement and closure dates, and the days following), resulting in 24,531 tweets for analysis.
We analyzed both the tone of the tweets (negative or positive towards asylum seekers) and how frequently they expressed the values of protection and self-transcendence.
On average, the overall tone of the 24,531 tweets was neutral. However, 9.87% of the tweets expressed the value of protection, and these tweets were generally negative in tone, reflecting a negative view of asylum seekers.
In contrast, 15.36 percent of the tweets expressed the value of self-transcendence and presented a positive view of asylum seekers.
An Afghan asylum seeker crosses the Canadian border with his 7-month-old daughter on Lochsome Road in Champlain, New York, in March 2023. (The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiose)
Has your opinion changed since Wroxham Road was closed?
We also explored whether the Wroxham Road closure influenced the content and tone of people’s tweets about asylum seekers. Because social media can collect data over time, we can develop knowledge about how people express their opinions at times of significant policy change.
We analysed the content and tone of tweets at four points in time. These included two days before the Wroxham Road closure, at the time of the announcement and closure, two days after the closure, and two days after that.
Immediately after the closure of Wroxham Road, there was an increase in the number of tweets expressing the value of conservation, but this has since returned to pre-closure levels, and these tweets have become slightly less negative since the time of announcement.
This negative perception has decreased, perhaps because asylum seekers who cannot enter the country are perceived as less of a threat.
A Haitian man pulls his luggage along Roxham Road in Champlain, New York, heading to an unofficial border crossing across from Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, in August 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
The number of tweets expressing self-transcendence more than doubled immediately after the Wroxham Road closure and remained at this high level for several days afterwards. These tweets were particularly positive immediately after the closure.
The increase in expressions of self-transcendence and positivity is likely due to greater empathy for asylum seekers who are unable to enter the country.
Values play an important role in attitudes towards asylum seekers and help explain polarised views, which may change in response to changes in policies regarding the treatment of asylum seekers.
Using Twitter data we were able to understand the change in attitudes at the time Wroxham Road was closed.