The scale of forced migration to Europe as a result of the the Syrian civil war, together with the political and economic context in Europe, ensured that the integration of refugees received significantly more attention than before. Many predictions of the likely impact of the migration were made within a frequently highly-polarised discourse. Both the European Union and its member states acknowledged the importance of integration policies. It is against this background that the FOCUS project has been designed to broaden and deepen understanding of integration dynamics 6-8 years after this major increase in refugees seeking protection in Europe and to link this to aiding more effective integration policy and programme development.

This report presents key results of the main research strand of FOCUS: quantitative and qualitative field studies in four countries.

The research involved:

• Quantitative surveys and focus group discussions in four countries – the two largest destinations of Syrian refugees in the EU (Germany, Sweden), an EU country which has largely been a transit country for Syrian refugees (Croatia), and a non-EU country which has received significant numbers of forced migrants from Syria (Jordan).
• Surveys using the same core research questions undertaken parallelly with both the Receiving Community and Arriving Community.
• In each country an equal or comparable methodology was employed.
• Over 5,000 research participants: Adults 18-65, permanent status granted to refugees after 2015 (2013 in Jordan).
• Regular revision of surveys in light of pandemic restrictions in participating countries.

The studies were developed following a detailed review of current understanding of the nature of integration and factors influencing integration. They investigate both socio-economic and socio-psychological dimensions of integration – including the first such work on a number of key socio-psychological factors.

The reports for the four individual countries have been published previously, with this document representing the next stage of the analysis of these reports on a cross-site basis. Following a complex process to ensure data comparability, a structured investigation of differences and similarities between the study sites has been prepared. The goal of the cross-site analysis is to detect common patterns and interpret them, keeping in mind the context of each study site. It is not a final analysis of the lessons and recommendations arising from the studies. A subsequent report will involve the triangulation of quantitative, qualitative and secondary data showing the interplay of the findings emerging from different methodologies. In addition, findings will be presented in the format of key learnings and implications for integration policy and practice.

The body of this report involves a narrative review of the principal similarities and differences between the countries including exploration of possible explanations for these. The quantitative and qualitative surveys are presented in separate chapters and linked where of assistance in explaining specific results. Within each section, the socio-economic and socio-psychological questions being addressed are described. The main appendix contains tables setting out results for each of the main questions in the survey.