A Sense of No Future in an Uncertain Present: Altruism and Risk-Seeking among Syrian Refugees in Jordan

Abstract

Abstract An unprecedented number of refugees from Syria have sought refuge in both the Middle East and Europe since the beginning of the civil war in Syria in 2011. We analyse the level of altruism and risk-seeking among Syrian civil war victims in Jordan. Our participants are university students who interact with both Jordanians and other Syrians. We find systematic variations in the revealed levels of altruism and their willingness to accept risk among Syrian refugees: feeling as if having no future coincides with both more egoistic and more risk-seeking behaviour. Refugees’ behavioural responses and their sense of no future correlate with their current personal living experiences. Our findings suggest that both the sense of no future and the accompanying behavioural responses are primarily associated with their current living conditions rather than with experiences directly related to the civil war in Syria.