Local residents’ perceptions of refugees as neighbors: a qualitative analysis of community social networks, purposive guardianship, and feelings of safety

Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 42 residents in a mid-size northeastern United States city, we examine the social networks of refugees and local inner-city residents. The study found that locals’ perceptions of refugees contributed to weakened social networks. Attenuated social networks, in turn, reduced purposive guardianship over crime and diminished perceptions of safety. Our findings raise questions about refugee–host relationship efforts to integrate refugees into the local community and demonstrate a need to reduce the social distance between refugees and locals to improve purposive guardianship and social networks to enhance community crime regulation capacity and feelings of safety.