Page 136 - IJPS-11-6

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Refugee integration through social support:

A clustering approach in host countries

1
Valeriia Shcherbak * , Svitlana Tereshchenko 1 , Tetiana Kostyshyna 2 ,
Viktoriia Riashchenko 3 , and Valentуna Yatsenko 4
1 Department of Economics and Entrepreneurship, Economics and Management Faculty, Sumy
National Agrarian University, Sumy, Sumy Oblast, Ukraine
2 Department of Human Resources Management, Labor Economics and Economic Theory,
Educational and Scientific Institute of Social and Labor Relations, Poltava University of Economics
and Trade, Poltava, Poltava Oblast, Ukraine
3 Department of Business Administration, ISMA University of Applied Sciences, Riga, Latvia
4 Department of History and Socio-Economic Disciplines, Faculty of Preschool and Special Education
and History, Municipal Establishment “Kharkiv Humanitarian-Pedagogical Academy” of the Kharkiv
Regional Council, Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine

*Corresponding author: Abstract
Valeriia Shcherbak
(admin@snau.edu.ua) In the context of mass displacement caused by war and other crises, the integration
Citation: Shcherbak, V., of refugees has become a critical task for host countries. This study examines nine
Tereshchenko, S., Kostyshyna, T., recipient countries, with a detailed focus on Poland, Germany, and the Czech
Riashchenko, V. & Yatsenko, V. Republic, chosen for their geographical proximity to Ukraine and their differing levels
(2025). Refugee integration
through social support: A clustering of social support and integration programs. Effective social support measures are
approach in host countries. essential for fostering an inclusive society and achieving sustainable socioeconomic
International Journal of Population development. The study aims to classify host countries based on their integration
Studies. 11(6): 130-143.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.4502 efforts and identify key indicators influencing refugee integration, such as access
to social services, employment rate, language proficiency, and participation in
Received: August 12, 2024 integration programs. Using hierarchical clustering (Joining Tree method) and
1st revised: October 3, 2024 K-means cluster analysis, the study groups countries based on similarities in their
2nd revised: November 25, 2024 integration policies and outcomes. Statistical data collected over 3 years (2022 – 2024)
were analyzed to highlight patterns and relationships among integration indicators.
3rd revised: December 17, 2024 Germany, characterized by advanced social support – €357 in social assistance on
4th revised: January 14, 2025 average per person per month and 85% access to integration programs – formed a
Accepted: April 30, 2025 distinct cluster with Great Britain, reflecting a high level of integration effort. Poland
and the Czech Republic, grouped in a separate cluster, demonstrated moderate but
Published online: May 16, 2025 improving integration policies. The findings highlight the multifaceted nature of
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). refugee integration, where access to services and employment opportunities play
This is an Open-Access article foundational roles, while language proficiency and social participation ensure long-
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution term inclusion. This study confirms the importance of well-developed social support
License, permitting distribution, systems in facilitating refugee integration and offers evidence-based insights for
and reproduction in any medium, improving integration policies. The findings contribute to ongoing migration policy
provided the original work is
properly cited. debates, providing practical recommendations for fostering inclusive and sustainable
societies.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Keywords: Migrant integration; Social support; Refugees; Inclusive society
affiliations.

Volume 11 Issue 6 (2025) 130 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.4502