[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/9635\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EMoving people\u2019s mindsets in the matter of migration\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2015, more than a million people arriving in Europe applied for asylum, the biggest annual total since the Second World War. With the Syrian war forcing many families to seek refuge, this was an exceptional year for people who arrived without documentation. Their harrowing and sometimes tragic journeys attracted widespread media coverage, yet net immigration to the European Union through regular channels in 2020 was also around a million people.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ERegular, documented migration is an everyday phenomenon for EU countries and goes largely unremarked upon. Without migrants, the EU population as a whole would have contracted by half a million in 2019. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhatever way migration happens, the large numbers in play disguise personal stories. Now, a European research project into the attitudes of migrants to Europe is set to release a feature film based on the undocumented migrant experience. Dystopia will centre on an African migrant woman in Spain and her experience of poverty, homelessness and exploitation. Follow the link to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gamanprod.wordpress.com\/2020\/04\/08\/dystopia\/\u0022\u003Elearn more about the Dystopia movie\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWe often have little knowledge or understanding about how migrants perceive Europe and how they are viewed by Europeans. This can lead to misunderstandings, such as during the Covid-19 pandemic when some migrants feared going to health authorities for a vaccination. The new film \u2013 due to be released in November \u2013 will tell the story from the migrant\u2019s point of view.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPerceived behaviour\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor all the media attention and heated political debate that migration generates, policymakers often operate without fully comprehending the behaviour of migrants themselves. \u2018We wanted to understand the influence that narratives and perceptions of Europe have on migration and why people move and how,\u2019 said Diotima Bertel, social scientist at Vienna, Austria-based research company SYNYO and coordinator of a project called PERCEPTIONS.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EPERCEPTIONS conducted more than 100 in-person interviews with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers about the sources of information they used and their views of Europe. It also investigated mass media and social media that migrants relied on.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Migrants can have a more positive idea about the situation in Europe than reality and can be disappointed by harsh realities such as not being welcomed by the society or having difficulty finding a job,\u2019 said Bertel. They might also present a rosier picture to those back home so as not to worry relatives, she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ENonetheless, migrants have \u2018a fairly realistic understanding of the journey to Europe, in particular the dangers that await them,\u2019 said Bertel. \u2018There is a misperception from the European side about this, though not the organisations that work directly with migrants.\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe wanted to understand the influence that narratives and perceptions of Europe have on migration and why people move and how\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDiotima Bertel, PERCEPTIONS\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe project found that when there are no family connections or diaspora, most migrants make little distinction between possible destinations in Europe. To the extent that there is a general tendency, it leans towards larger, better-known countries such as the UK and Germany.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPossible destinations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EA twin project of PERCEPTION, called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/832921\u0022\u003EMIRROR\u003C\/a\u003E, also looked at migrants\u2019 perceptions to get a better understanding of how migrants perceive Europe as a destination.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EUsing freely available information, while paying particular attention to influential social and mass media, the project developed \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/h2020mirror.eu\/toolkit\/\u0022\u003Ea set of tools\u003C\/a\u003E to inform policymakers, border-control agencies and others to help improve their policies.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe database that the project built can be used by humanitarian organisations or governmental agencies to draw links between beliefs and types of behaviour. For example, MIRROR found that sometimes migrants have a tendency to be wary of European countries\u2019 pandemic-related health measures, including quarantines. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis sort of information would complement existing border-control practices, according to Dr Aitana Radu, project researcher and expert in information policy and governance at the University of Malta.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EThere is a need to improve the management of arrivals to the European Union, and once they arrive, improve their integration into different member states\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProf Cristina Blasi Casagran, ITFLOWS \u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe project has provided recommendations on, for example, how to improve communication with migrants.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMigration predictions\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EA third project \u2013 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/882986\u0022\u003EITFLOWS\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 focuses on producing accurate predictions and forecasts of migration and asylum flows, and developing workable approaches to the phenomenon by creating a deeper understanding of it.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There is a need to improve the management of arrivals to the European Union and, once they arrive, improve their integration into different Member States,\u2019 said Professor Cristina Blasi Casagran at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, ITFLOWS coordinator.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe project is developing the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.itflows.eu\/eumigratool\/\u0022\u003EEUMigraTool (EMT)\u003C\/a\u003E to predict or forecast migration and asylum flows and spotlight any possible migration-related tensions. This includes analysis of content from TV, web news and social media.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile all the data it uses draws from publicly available sources, the EMT collects them for the first time in a single resource for those who work with migrants, and for policymakers.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We also conducted interviews with over 90 migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Greece, Italy and Spain,\u2019 said Dr Colleen Boland at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. In addition, the project is tapping into data from Google Trends to better understand the intentions and views of migrants, and Twitter to learn about sentiment and attitudes towards migrants.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EThis is not a fixed situation, but instead is something that continually evolves\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDiotima Bertel, PERCEPTIONS\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe EMT website \u2018will contain various dashboards and interfaces to look at different sections. You could see, for example, displacement caused by conflict at the countries of origin, like Nigeria, Mali or Venezuela,\u2019 said Dr Boland.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018You can also see historical data on movement, as well as our predictions on asylum-seeker arrivals based on applications in different Member States.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to assessing the movement of people, the website will highlight the perspectives of European citizens. \u2018We will have a section looking at attitudes towards immigration in different Member States, to see attitudes based on different variables such as age, unemployment and education,\u2019 said Dr Boland. This, she said, may flag issues such as barriers to integration. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChanging migration patterns\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDr Boland said the interviews with migrants helped tell the story of why and how they travelled to Europe, be it along Mediterranean land and sea routes, via the Canary Islands from West Africa or across the Atlantic from Latin America.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EProject officials stress that there is no one-size-fits-all explanation for migration to Europe. \u2018People are highly individual at the end of the day,\u2019 said Dr Katja Prinz, EU research manager at HENSOLDT Analytics, responsible for communications with MIRROR. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOne thing is certain: migration drivers and patterns will keep changing, as evidenced by the movement of Ukrainians to EU countries following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, largely to Poland but also other territories.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This is not a fixed situation, but instead is something that continually evolves,\u2019 said Bertel.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFollow the links below to learn more about\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\t\u003Cli\u003Ethe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/833870\u0022\u003EPERCEPTIONS\u003C\/a\u003E project\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\u003Cli\u003Ethe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/832921\u0022\u003EMIRROR\u003C\/a\u003E project\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\u003Cli\u003Ethe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/882986\u0022\u003EITFLOWS\u003C\/a\u003E project\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU. 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