Impact of the Arrival of Foreign Nationals on the Quality of Life in a Selected Border Municipality During Migration Transit

Abstract

This article deals with the attitudes of residents of the border village of Ubľa toward the arrival of foreign nationals in the Slovak Republic, with a particular focus on individuals who left Ukraine because of the international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The aim of this research is to assess the impact of this migratory movement on the perceived quality of life of local inhabitants living near the border crossing and to identify potential measures for improvement. This study is based on a review of the current state of the issue in both national and international contexts, serving as a theoretical foundation for the empirical part of this study. This study was conducted using the Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) method to examine residents’ attitudes toward foreign nationals in general, toward arrivals from Ukraine specifically, and toward the management of the crisis declared in 2022 in response to their arrival. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. The results indicate significant differences in respondents’ attitudes depending on their level of education, with university-educated respondents being approximately twice as likely to express more positive attitudes toward the arrival of foreign nationals and refugees from Ukraine compared to respondents with secondary education, who tended to hold more negative views.

1. Introduction

As social processes, migratory movements are a response to complex economic, ecological, social and cultural, religious, ethnic, and political conditions and challenges, through which migration has gradually permeated all spheres of life [1]. While the motivations for migration vary, they can generally be identified within five primary categories, namely, material improvement, risk management, symbolic satisfaction, social connection and threat avoidance, and it is the desire to avoid threats that resonates and is likely to continue to resonate in the face of, not only rising civil violence, but also climate change [2,3].

According to Ondrušek and Markovič [4], this represents a specific type of spatial mobility, the primary factor of which is the cross-border movement of individuals with the intention of settling in another country for a certain period of time [4].

Migration and refugee movements are now frequently discussed concepts that are taking on new meanings, especially in the European context [5]. According to Kadlečíková [6], it is an extremely intense phenomenon that affects practically all spheres of social life. While migration can bring positive effects, such as economic development or the spread of innovation, its negative side is often associated with the large-scale movement of individuals from less developed countries to more economically stable states that guarantee a higher perceived quality of life for their citizens. However, economic benefit is not the only factor that forces individuals to migrate, as clearly evidenced by the events of recent years, which are also highlighted by Rayevnyeva et al. [7] who emphasized that the war in Ukraine has significantly increased the scale of forced migration in Europe, with border regions such as eastern Slovakia being directly affected by these movements. These developments have made migration a highly visible social issue, particularly in communities located near border crossings [8].

In this context, it is useful to distinguish between forced and voluntary (economic) migration. Unlike economic migration, which is typically driven by the pursuit of better living conditions, forced migration arises from conflict, violence, or other serious threats that limit individual choice. This distinction is relevant for understanding public responses, as different types of migration may be perceived differently by host populations. While economic migrants are often evaluated in terms of their potential contribution to the labor market, people fleeing conflict may be assessed through a combination of humanitarian considerations and perceived concerns related to safety and social stability. Several studies suggest that such perceptions can play an important role in shaping public attitudes toward migration (Bansak et al. [9]; Ferwerda et al. [10]; Ceyhun [11]).

From the perspective of the typology of migration according to the International Organization for Migration [12] (IOM), an interesting category regarding the issue at hand is forced migration, defined by its lack of voluntariness and international migration in terms of the direction of movement. Indeed, the Global Risks Reports prepared and issued annually by the World Economic Forum (WEF), between 2007 and 2020, indicate that forced migration is one of the top five global risks, both in terms of likelihood and impact [13]. According to Harter [8], the total number of refugees and forcibly displaced individuals globally has been rising sharply in recent years, as evidenced by the fact that forced migration outpaced world population growth in 2021. Interestingly, however, these forcibly displaced, internationally relocated individuals are overwhelmingly hosted by middle-income countries, which host 60% of them [8].

Given these facts, the question arises whether international migrants or foreign nationals significantly affect the perceived quality of life of the host countries’ inhabitants. Therefore, it is useful to highlight the approaches to measuring subjective quality of life itself and the relevant studies that have addressed this issue. Despite the growing body of literature on migration, most studies focus primarily on migrants and their integration into host societies. Less attention was paid to the perceptions of host communities, particularly in small border municipalities directly exposed to migration transit. Moreover, limited research has examined how these perceptions relate to the perceived quality of life of local residents.

This study aims to address this gap by focusing on the attitudes of residents in a border municipality and examining how the arrival of foreign nationals influences their perceived quality of life.

Impact of the Arrival of Foreign Nationals on the Population’s Perceived Quality of Life

Alongside research on migration, increasing attention is given to its impact on host communities. Existing studies suggest that the arrival of foreign nationals may influence not only economic conditions, but also social relations and everyday life in local communities. In particular, perceived safety, social cohesion, and trust in institutions are often discussed as key factors shaping how residents evaluate the presence of migrants. These effects are not necessarily linked to direct or measurable impacts, but rather to how individuals perceive and interpret changes in their local environment. This perspective is especially relevant in border regions, where migration flows are more visible and may have a more immediate influence on residents’ daily experiences according to Ferwerda et al. [10] and Ceyhun [11].

Stiglitz et al. [14] state that perceived quality of life is a broader concept than economic output and standard of living. It encompasses a wide range of factors that affect what we value in life and extends beyond material aspects. This is also confirmed by the definition of subjective quality of life according to the World Health Organization, which defines it from the individual’s perspective as the perception of one’s position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns by Liba [15]. Most experts consider the measurement of perceived quality of life not only a dynamic but also a subjective concept, with the subjective aspect capturing individual opinions, while the dynamic aspect changes over time and therefore requires measurement over a period. Nevertheless, the subjective concept is essential but not sufficient, making it appropriate to consider both subjective and objective aspects of measuring quality of life as described by Koohi et al. [16].

Various databases, such as the EU SILC (EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) or various population surveys, can be sources of data for measuring quality of life, especially its subjective aspects. In addition, the European Union (EU) has been conducting the Eurobarometer opinion poll for several years, and one of the Eurobarometer’s domains is the satisfaction of European Union residents with the city they live in. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) regularly maps the assessment of the quality-of-life index across all member countries, and it is interesting to note that the OECD assesses this index primarily from the perspective of the inhabitants of a given country. More generally, it has also been shown how the influences of workers without formal qualifications, differential fertility between immigrants and the local indigenous population, and incentives for investment in human capital combine to predict the decline of the West Azarnert [17]. Part of the daily routine in many countries, mainly due to the flight of refugees from their home countries, is affected by military conflict. The way in which this arrival of foreign nationals affects the quality of public life within the host countries has been a guiding principle for several studies. In doing so, many studies have looked at the impact of the arrival of foreign nationals on the host country’s perceived quality of life, showing, for example, the positive effects of immigration on domestic earnings according to Bond et al. [18] and the positive and strong impact of immigration on the well-being of natives supported by Akay et al. [19]. However, while migration has a positive impact on the GDP of the host country, it has a negative impact on the active population as stated by Rayevnyeva et al. [7].

The attitudes of host country residents towards the arrival of foreign nationals, as well as the reasons for these attitudes, are the subject of many studies, among them that of Bansak et al. [9], Canetti et al. [20], Ferwerd et al. [10], Ceyhun [11], Fraser and Murakami [21] and Karakiewicz-Krawczyk et al. [22] or Babicki et al. [23]. Bansak et al. [9] in their study investigated what types of asylum seekers are accepted by Europeans, for which the authors conducted an experiment involving 18,000 eligible voters in 15 European countries. Participants were asked to evaluate 180,000 profiles of asylum seekers. The findings of Bansak et al. [9] indicated that participants were most favorably disposed to asylum seekers who possessed higher predicted employability, credible and compelling reasons for asylum, and were Christian (primarily non-Muslims). This survey indicated a relatively strict attitude towards religion, compelling reasons for migration, but also assumptions of applicants not to be dependent on host country assistance. All these attitudes were identified independently of the variables of interest, including political beliefs.

Ferwerda et al. [10], as part of their research, sought to understand American citizens’ attitudes towards refugee resettlement, and their findings highlighted a collective issue, namely that American citizens are consistently less supportive of resettlement within their own communities than they are of resettlement elsewhere in the country. Other findings include, for example, that threatening media frames significantly reduce support for both national and local resettlement, media frames that refute the belief that refugees are a threat do not have a significant impact, and U.S. citizens within refugee-dense counties are less responsive to threatening frames, suggesting that proximity to refugees may reduce the impact of perceived security threats. It is very likely that media events can indeed influence public opinion to a significant degree, but at the same time, the finding that coexistence with foreign nationals within districts can break down prejudice is beneficial.

Fraser and Murakami’s [21] observational and experimental study was based on the humanitarian logic of host populations towards migrants and refugees. The authors built their study on the premise that dispositional and situational triggers related to humanitarianism shape Japanese public attitudes toward refugees, finding that humanitarianism predicts public support for accepting refugees more strongly than it predicts support for economic migrants, and people with higher levels of humanitarianism are more likely to accept refugees who are fleeing natural disasters and wars than those who are fleeing political repression.

Karakiewicz-Krawczyk et al. [22] argue that it is the armed conflict in Ukraine that has stirred emotions across the world, as evidenced by the fact that several countries have helped people fleeing the territory of Ukraine. The authors therefore focused on Poland in their study. The aim of their study was to map the views of 1012 Poles on the need to provide humanitarian aid to refugees from Ukraine, and the results showed that:

• Poles have a positive attitude towards Ukrainians.
• Poles over 49 years of age are most willing to help Ukrainians, more often with a good and very good financial situation.
• Poles feel that general assistance from other countries and the European Parliament is insufficient.
• Military support to Ukraine is mostly approved by the oldest participants in the study, while it is less approved by Poles under 30, who prefer mainly medical assistance to refugees from Ukraine.
• Participants under 30 and the least well-off, primarily women, are most concerned about the ongoing conflict.
• Poles with a very good financial situation are least concerned about the consequences of the ongoing Russian Ukrainian conflict.

It has been suggested that, in a comprehensive way, citizens of host countries have a positive attitude towards those refugees and foreign nationals for whom it is demonstrable that a humanitarian approach needs to be applied. However, time is a limiting factor in these studies, as it can be assumed that views have changed over time. The NGO GLOBSEC, as reported by Murajdová [24], organized a survey among the population of the Visegrad Four countries (a sample of 1000 people from each country) regarding attitudes towards refugees from Ukraine. It is clear from the survey results that the attitude of Polish citizens towards refugees from Ukraine remains positive at the end of 2022 (85%—positive attitude), while positive preferences are also unquestionable among Hungarians (82%) and Czechs (73%), but apparent contradictory views prevail in Slovakia (42% positive attitude, 52% negative attitude). Murajdová [24] mentions that one of the authors of the survey explains this by the fact that Slovaks are concerned about the burden on their own economic situation in connection with aiding refugees from Ukraine. However, another co-author of the survey argues that political ideology also plays a significant role.

These findings were key to the research, which examines the impact of the arrival of foreign nationals on the quality of life of residents in the selected municipality. The aim of the paper is to assess the impact of the arrival of foreign nationals to the territory of the Slovak Republic on the quality of life of its inhabitants and to propose ways to improve their quality of life based on a survey of residents’ opinions in the selected municipality of Ubľa.

2. Materials and Methods

The starting point for the further direction of this research was the current state of the issue at both national and international level, as presented in the Introduction of the paper. The outputs and findings of this review shaped the formulation of the research problem, which is stated as follows: “How do the inhabitants of Ubľa assess the impact of the arrival of foreign nationals on their quality of life, and what attitudes do they hold towards these foreign nationals, with a particular focus on refugees from Ukraine?” This study focuses on perceived (self-reported) quality of life, as the data are based on respondents’ subjective evaluations collected through a questionnaire, rather than on objective indicators of living conditions.

2.1. Area of Interest of the Survey

To study the impact of the arrival of people fleeing war-affected Ukraine on the perceived quality of life of the host country’s inhabitants, the village of Ubľa was selected. The village of Ubľa is located in the eastern part of the Slovak Republic on the border with Ukraine. Administratively, it belongs to the Snina district in the Prešov Self-Governing Region. The population of the municipality is 774 people with a population density of 27 inhabitants/km². The total area of the municipality is 29 km² [25]. Within its cadastral territory of the municipality, there is a road border crossing Ubľa—Maliy Bereznyi. This particular border crossing was one of the busiest after the start of the war. From a socio-economic perspective, Ubľa represents a peripheral rural municipality within Slovakia. It belongs to one of the less economically developed regions of the country, characterized by limited employment opportunities, lower economic performance compared to the national average, and long-term population out-migration.

2.2. Objectives, Research Questions and Hypotheses

Numerous studies such as Bond, Gaston [19], Akay et al. [20], Breunig et al. [26], Edo [27], Rayevnyeva et al. [7] have indicated the impact of the arrival of foreign nationals on the quality of life of host country residents. Furthermore, several authors such as Bansak et al. [9], Canetti et al. [21], Ferwerda et al. [10], Ceyhun [11], Fraser, Murakami [22], Karakiewicz-Krawczyk et al. [23] and Babicki et al. [24] have also tracked residents’ attitudes towards these arrivals and the underlying reasons for such perceptions. Some of these including Murajdova [25], Karakiewicz-Krawczyk et al. [23], Babicki et al. and Mastalerz-Migasova [24] specifically addressed the current influx of people fleeing Ukraine. Based on these findings, three sub-objectives were formulated to address the main research objective. Bansak et al. [9] suggested that host country residents are most favorable to incoming foreign nationals who possess higher predicted employability or credible and compelling reasons for asylum, but residents’ opinions varied depending on, for example, age or education. Meanwhile, Ceyhun [11] also highlighted that differences in attitudes towards migrants may affect the perceived sense of security of host country residents. Moreover, research across European countries has shown that non-Western and particularly Muslim immigrants are often associated with stronger threat perceptions among host society members as shown by Hainmueller and Hopkins [28].

Based on the findings from previous studies, the main research objective was formulated as an investigation into how residents of Ubľa perceive the arrival of foreign nationals, with a particular emphasis on individuals fleeing Ukraine. This objective was further operationalized into specific sub-objectives that reflect different dimensions of the research problem. The first sub-objective focuses on differences in attitudes toward foreign nationals depending on educational background. This is addressed through Research Question 1, which examines how education influences residents’ attitudes toward migration. The relationship is tested using a single hypothesis (H1), which is examined through both the chi-square test of independence (to identify the existence of a relationship) and an ordinal logistic regression model (to assess its direction and strength). The logistic regression model is a follow-up step to the chi-square test that helps expand the basic information, because the chi-square test can only assess the existence of a statistically significant association. Logistic regression, however, makes it possible to determine the magnitude and direction of the effect of education on attitudes toward migration, that is, how strongly the probability of a given attitude differs between education groups. As a result, we obtain more precise and richer findings.

Research Question 1: Depending on their educational background, what attitudes do Ubľa residents have towards the arrival of foreign nationals, with an emphasis on people fleeing Ukraine?

Hypothesis 1.

There is a significant relationship between the education level of Ubľa residents and their attitudes toward the arrival of foreign nationals, including people fleeing from Ukraine.

Bond and Gaston’s [19] study indicated positive effects of immigration on native earnings, but not all educational groups were positively affected. Akay et al. [20] indicated positive effects of immigration on the life satisfaction of natives. Breunig et al. [26] showed no relevant and significant evidence that immigration harms the labor market outcomes of host country residents with respect to their educational attainment, but Edo [27] suggested that the arrival of foreign nationals may reduce the wages of native workers. Ceyhun [11] also highlighted that differences in attitudes towards migrants may affect the perceived sense of security of host country residents. The statistics of refugee arrivals were also analyzed in work conducted by Ballová and Mikušová [29].

Due to the communicated findings, we arrived at the formulation of sub-objective 2, which was linked to Research Question 2, which was followed by Hypotheses 2 and 3.

The second sub-objective explores how the arrival of foreign nationals affects perceived quality of life from the perspective of residents, with a particular focus on employment status. It is linked to Research Question 2 and tested through hypotheses examining perceived security and life satisfaction.

Research Question 2: How does the arrival of foreign nationals affect the perceived quality of life of Ubľa residents from the perspective of Ubľa residents themselves and with respect to their employment status?

Hypothesis 2.

Ubľa residents’ views on the erosion of their sense of security due to the impact of incoming people fleeing Ukraine are uneven (one of the attitudes is predominant).

Hypothesis 3.

The opinions of Ubľa residents on the change in their perception of life satisfaction due to the influence of arriving people fleeing Ukraine are not negative.

As social processes, migratory movements are a response to complex economic, ecological, social, cultural, religious, ethnic and political conditions and challenges, because of which migration has gradually permeated all spheres of life according to Bade [1].

Based on the findings mentioned above, the formulation of partial objective number 3 was proposed to which research question 3 was linked.

3. Sub-objective: To ascertain the views of Ubľa residents on emergency management in the context of the arrival of people fleeing Ukraine to Slovakia:

Research Question 3: How do Ubľa residents perceive the emergency management system in relation to the arrival of people fleeing Ukraine to Slovakia?

2.3. Research File

The research sample consisted of 87 adult residents of the village of Ubľa, located in eastern Slovakia near the border with Ukraine. The respondents ranged in age from 22 to 51 years. The sample included both male and female participants with varying levels of education and employment status, ensuring basic heterogeneity of the dataset. The respondents were selected using a non-probability convenience sampling method. Data collection was conducted via an online CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) questionnaire distributed among residents of the municipality of Ubľa. Participation in the survey was voluntary, and only residents willing to participate and with access to the online questionnaire were included in the final sample.

The socio-demographic structure of the sample is presented in Table 1, which summarizes gender, education, and employment status. Data were collected using the Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) method through an online questionnaire consisting of 28 items in Google form. The data were subsequently analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Within the methods of statistical processing of the data, obtained by dissemination of the questionnaire, the methods of descriptive and analytical statistics were chosen. Descriptive statistics involve expressing the data in absolute and relative frequencies and in contingency tables. From analytical statistics, to test the hypotheses, the chi-square test of independence was applied. To test Hypothesis 1, both the chi-square test of independence and an ordinal logistic regression model were applied. The chi-square test was used to determine whether a statistically significant association exists between education and attitudes. The ordinal logistic regression model was subsequently employed to assess the direction and strength of this relationship through odds ratios. This approach provides a more detailed interpretation of the relationship. Furthermore, the use of ordinal logistic regression is appropriate due to the ordinal nature of the dependent variable (Likert scale), and it represents a more suitable alternative to OLS regression, which assumes a continuous dependent variable and equal distances between categories, conditions that are not met in the case of ordinal Likert-scale data. To test hypothesis 2 the chi-square goodness-of-fit test was used based on the calculation of the theoretical distribution. Hypothesis 3 was tested using a one-sample one-tailed Z-test for proportion, after merging responses into three categories (positive, neutral, negative). The theoretical distribution, or expected values in these two cases, was calculated as the ratio of the total number of responses to the number of categories (in this case, a 5-point Likert scale). The hypotheses were tested, at a significance level of α = 0.05 and a 0.1 error rate. We acknowledge that the relatively high proportion of female respondents engaged in entrepreneurship may represent a sample-specific bias. This pattern may reflect the local socio-economic structure of the municipality, where small-scale self-employment and family-based entrepreneurship are relatively common forms of economic activity. At the same time, this distribution is likely influenced by the non-probability sampling design and the limited sample size, which should be considered when interpreting the results.

Table 1. Differentiation of the research population by gender, education and work status.

Gender, Education, Employment Status	N	%
Ubľa	87	100%
Male	42	48.28%
full secondary education	17	19.54%
unemployed	3	3.45%
entrepreneur	1	1.15%
employed	13	14.94%
2nd level university degree	25	28.74%
unemployed	7	8.05%
entrepreneur	14	16.09%
employed	4	4.60%
Female	45	51.72%
full secondary education	12	13.79%
unemployed	8	9.20%
entrepreneur	4	4.60%
2nd level university degree	33	37.93%
unemployed	8	9.20%
entrepreneur	25	28.74%
Total sum	87	100.00%

The problematic questionnaire items, depending on the socio-demographic items selected, were tied to answering the research questions and to testing the research hypotheses, whereby:

-

Items 6 to 15 depending on 4 items answered research question 1.

-

Items 16 to 22, depending on item 5, answered research question 2.

-

Items 23 to 27 depending on item 1 answered research question 3.

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Items 7 to 14, depending on item 3, tested Hypothesis 1.

-

Items 10 to 12, depending on item 3, tested Hypothesis 1.

-

Item 21, depending on item 1, verified Hypothesis 2.

-

Item 22 depending on item 1 verified Hypothesis 3.

To test the strength of the eventual statistically significant difference indicated by (χ²), it was necessary to apply the calculation of Cramer’s V coefficient, which ranges from 0 (no association) to 1 (perfect association), with:

-

A coefficient up to 0.2 is interpreted as “weak association”;

-

A coefficient between 0.2 and 0.6 is interpreted as “moderate association”;

-

A coefficient of approximately above 0.6 is interpreted as a “strong association” (Ballova Mikušková) [28].

3. Results

Hypothesis 1, “There is a significant relationship between the education level of Ubľa residents and their attitudes toward the arrival of foreign nationals, including people fleeing Ukraine,” was tested using both the chi-square test of independence and an ordinal logistic regression model.

First, the chi-square test of independence was applied to examine whether a statistically significant association exists between education and attitudes toward the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine. Table 2 presents the results of the chi-square (χ²) test.

Table 2. Ordinal logistic regression analysis: Findings from the verification of the existence of disparities between the residents’ attitudes towards the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine and the residents’ education.

Observed Frequencies						Σ	χ2 Crit.	α	χ2	Cramer V
Education	Agree	Rather Agree	Rather Disagree	Disagree	Undecided
full secondary education	13	45	16	13	0	87
2nd level university degree	82	65	11	16	0	174
Σ	95	110	27	29	0	261
Expected frequencies							7.818	0.05	29.237	0.335
full secondary education	31.67	36.67	9.00	9.67	0.00	87.00
2nd level university degree	63.33	73.33	18.00	19.33	0.00	174.00
Σ	95.00	110.00	27.00	29.00	0.00	261.00
Chi-squared values
full secondary education	11.00	1.89	5.44	1.15	0.00
2nd level university degree	5.50	0.95	2.72	0.57	0.00

The results indicate a statistically significant relationship between education and attitudes (χ² = 29.237, p < 0.05), with a moderate strength of association (Cramer’s V = 0.335). This suggests that education plays a significant role in shaping attitudes toward people fleeing from Ukraine. Subsequently to examine the relationship between education and attitudes, an ordinal logistic regression model was applied. Items 7–14 were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression, with education as the independent variable and attitudes toward the arrival of foreign nationals as the ordinal dependent variable. attitude toward the arrival of foreign nationals—was measured on an ordinal Likert scale. The dependent variable represented the degree of agreement with statements concerning the arrival of foreign nationals (1 = disagree, 2 = rather disagree, 3 = rather agree, 4 = agree). The independent variable was the level of education of the respondents, coded as follows:

-

0 = full secondary education.

-

1 = second-level university degree.

The categories of the dependent variable were numerically ordered according to increasing agreement. The proportional odds assumption was applied, and the parameters were estimated using maximum likelihood estimation. Statistical significance was evaluated using the Wald test. The level of significance was set at α = 0.05. The strength and direction of the relationship were interpreted using the odds ratio (OR). The results of the ordinal logistic regression analysis are presented in Table 3, which reflects the results of Hypothesis 1.

Table 3. Results of the ordinal logistic regression analysis for hypothesis 1.

Predictor	β	Wald	p-Value	Odds Ratio (OR)	95% CI for OR
Education (University vs. Secondary)	0.70	3.41	<0.05	2.01	1.06–3.81

As shown in Table 3, the regression analysis revealed that education is a statistically significant predictor of attitudes toward the arrival of foreign nationals (p < 0.05). The estimated odds ratio (OR = 2.01) indicates that respondents with a university degree are approximately twice as likely to express a more positive attitude toward the arrival of foreign nationals compared to respondents with full secondary education. This suggests that respondents with higher education levels tend to perceive the presence of foreign nationals more favorably, highlighting the role of education in shaping attitudes toward migration. The confidence interval does not include value 1, which confirms the statistical significance of the predictor. Based on the results of both the chi-square test and the ordinal logistic regression analysis, Hypothesis H1 is confirmed.

To test Hypothesis 2, we applied the chi-square goodness-of-fit test based on a theoretical distribution with equal probabilities across categories. Hypothesis H3 was tested using a one-sample one-tailed Z-test for proportion after merging responses into three categories (positive, neutral, negative). The test examined whether the proportion of negative responses exceeded 50% in the municipality of Ubľa.

The results of testing Hypothesis H2: Ub residents’ views on the erosion of their sense of security by the impact of incoming refugees are evenly distributed as shown in Table 4 below.

Table 4. Findings from the verification of the existence of disparities in residents’ views on the erosion of their sense of security due to the impact of incoming refugees.

Response	O	Ei	(O-Ei)2/Ei
agree	48	17.40	53.81
rather agree	0	17.40	17.40
rather disagree	39	17.40	26.81
disagree	0	17.40	17.40
undecided	0	17.40	17.40
χ2			132.83

Hypothesis 2 was tested at a significance level of α = 0.05 and 4 degrees of freedom. The critical chi-square value in this case is 9.488. The resulting value of χ² (132.83) > χ²_crit (9.488), and therefore we reject the null hypothesis and confirm Hypothesis H3. The results show an uneven distribution of responses in the views of Ubľa residents on the disruption to their sense of security due to the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine. The structure of the responses suggests that residents of Ubľa perceive a disruption of their sense of security, which may significantly influence their overall attitudes toward the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine.

Hypothesis 3 examined whether the views of Ubľa residents on the change in perceived life satisfaction due to the impact of people fleeing from Ukraine indicate a predominance of negative perceptions. For statistical testing, responses were merged into three categories (positive, neutral, negative). The hypothesis was tested using a one-sample one-tailed Z-test for proportions. The null hypothesis (H₀) assumed that the proportion of negative responses is less than or equal to 0.50 (H₀: p ≤ 0.50), while the alternative hypothesis (H₁) assumed that the proportion exceeds 0.50 (H₁: p > 0.50).

The test was conducted at a significance level of α = 0.05. Table 5 presents the results of the H3 verification.

Table 5. Results of the one-sample proportion Z-test for Hypothesis H3.

Response	Frequency	Test Parameter	Value
positively	0	n	87
neutral	39	Negative responses	48
negative	48	Sample proportion ($\widehat{\mathrm{p}}$)	0.5517
		Tested proportion (p0)	0.50
		Z-statistic	0.9649
		p-value (one-tailed)	0.1673
		α	0.05

Based on the results of the one-sample one-tailed Z-test (Z = 0.9649, p = 0.1673), we fail to reject the null hypothesis H0. This indicates that the proportion of negative responses does not significantly exceed 50%. This suggests that, although some residents report negative experiences, the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine has not led to a clearly dominant negative perception of life satisfaction among respondents. Therefore, the results do not provide statistical evidence that the residents of Ubľa are predominantly inclined to view the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine as having reduced their self-reported life satisfaction. After testing the research hypotheses, the next step is to answer the research questions. Research questions 1–3 are evaluated based on the questionnaire items as presented in Section 2.3.

Evaluation of the first research question, “What is the attitude of Ubľa residents towards the arrival of foreign nationals, with an emphasis on people fleeing from Ukraine, depending on their educational background?” showed that:

• Inhabitants with secondary education with a high school diploma have a majority negative opinion of the arrival of foreign nationals to Slovakia, while inhabitants with higher education have a majority partially positive opinion.
• Residents with secondary education with a high school diploma agree that Slovakia should accept such foreign nationals who have the potential to work/study in Slovakia, have serious reasons for leaving their homeland, and profess a religion common to Slovakia, while residents with higher education agree with the above-mentioned.
• Inhabitants with secondary education with a high school diploma mostly do not agree that the outbreak of the war conflict in Ukraine is a good reason for people fleeing from Ukraine to come to Slovakia, while inhabitants with university education tend to agree.
• Residents with secondary education with a high school diploma are more likely to agree that people fleeing from Ukraine should have access to education and healthcare in Slovakia, while the majority of residents with higher education agree with this.
• Inhabitants with secondary education with a high school diploma tend to agree that their opinion on the admission of foreign nationals to Slovakia is influenced by the views of the political party and information in the media with which they sympathize, while inhabitants with higher education in the majority clearly disagree.

Ubľa residents, regardless of education, have a negative attitude towards the arrival of foreign nationals if they perceive them as a threat to their sense of security in Slovakia.

These findings provide an answer to Research Question 1, indicating that attitudes toward foreign nationals differ significantly depending on educational background.

Evaluation of the second research question, “How does the arrival of foreign nationals affect the perceived quality of life of Ubľa residents from their own perspective and with respect to their employment status?” showed that:

• Unemployed inhabitants agree that arrivals of foreign nationals affect the level of earnings in Slovakia in a decreasing tendency and at the same time fill vacant jobs, while employed people rather agree, and the majority of entrepreneurs expressed clear disagreement with the influence on earnings and disagreement with the filling of vacant jobs.
• Unemployed residents tend to disagree with the notion that large numbers of arriving foreign nationals can culturally enrich Slovakia or contribute to its economy. The majority of employed individuals also tend to disagree, albeit to a lesser extent, whereas entrepreneurs are more likely to agree that the arrival of foreign nationals can bring both cultural and economic benefits to Slovakia.
• Employed and unemployed residents in the majority agree that arrivals of foreign nationals are a threat of infectious diseases to Slovakia and that they disrupt their sense of security, which may be why they characterize the change in their overall life satisfaction as mostly negative. In contrast, the majority of business owners were unable to comment on how their overall life satisfaction changed after the arrival of foreign nationals, but nevertheless they tend to agree that foreign nationals are a threat of infectious diseases. Furthermore, businesspeople are more likely to disagree that arrivals of foreign nationals undermine their sense of security.

These results suggest that employment status influences how residents perceive the impact of foreign nationals on their quality of life, particularly in relation to economic concerns and perceived security.

Evaluation of the third research question, “How do the residents of Ubľa perceive the emergency management system in connection with the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine to Slovakia?” showed that:

• Ubľa residents tended to be comprehensively dissatisfied with the measures taken to deal with the crisis situation related to the initial arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine to Slovakia; they were generally dissatisfied during the situation, and their satisfaction has not changed significantly to this day, but the majority opinion is more likely to be disapproving.
• Regarding the evaluation of the activity of individual components of crisis management in response to the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine, the activity of the municipality is evaluated by the inhabitants as partially effective, the activity of the district as partially ineffective, the activity of the state as completely ineffective, the activity of NGOs as partially effective, while the activity of volunteers is evaluated by the majority as completely effective.
• Ubľa residents clearly perceive the failure of the state to address the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine as a serious problem (a rare consensus across the research set), but also that no one effectively communicated the situation to the residents.
• Residents agreed that a serious problem with the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine was the ineffective use of the resources provided and the failure to involve active citizens in the assistance.
• Residents perceive the uncoordinated transport in the village from the beginning as a serious problem with the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine.
• The majority of residents perceived the lack of noise and light pollution in the village as a serious problem due to the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine, but opinions were divided regarding the damage to municipal buildings, premises, and roads, with responses ranging between “rather agree” and “do not have a strong opinion.”

These findings highlight a generally negative perception of crisis management among residents, particularly at the state level, while local actors and volunteers are viewed more positively.

4. Discussion

The results support hypothesis 1 showing that educational background significantly influences Ubľa residents’ attitudes toward the arrival of foreign nationals in general, and specifically people fleeing from Ukraine, with higher-educated respondents holding more positive views. Hypothesis 2 was also confirmed, indicating that perceptions of security are unevenly distributed by arrivals. In contrast, Hypothesis 3 was not confirmed, as negative impacts on self-reported life satisfaction did not predominate. These findings highlight the importance of education and perceived safety in shaping attitudes and provide guidance for targeted policy and crisis management measures. The findings and their implications should be discussed in the broadest possible context. Future research directions may also be highlighted.

While conceiving the research, we identified certain limitations that may have objectively influenced the study, and which need to be ethically acknowledged. One limitation is the considerable inconsistency in previous studies concerning the impact of the arrival of foreign nationals on the perceived quality of life of host country residents, which complicates designing measures to influence the attitudes of host country residents who are not favorable toward arrivals of foreign nationals. Another limitation relates to the distribution of the research population based on employment/work status and education, which may have occurred inadvertently due to the targeted dissemination of the questionnaire link among Ubľa residents to achieve a minimally satisfactory response rate. Consequently, not all educational levels or employment status categories were fully represented. Therefore, the results are interpreted with a margin of error of 0.1, which limits full generalization. Nonetheless, the results provide explanatory value for the field of crisis management and its links to the quality of life of populations affected by crises.

Conducting crisis management surveys involving civilian populations is an appropriate tool for decision-makers and institutions to develop effective, targeted policies based on survey results, as noted by Simak and Ristvej [30], Ristvej et al. [31], Kubás et al. [32,33]. The collected opinions and feedback from relevant stakeholders represent a valuable source of information to support the design and development of a comprehensive preparedness model, integrating modern strategies in safety, sustainability, and psychosocial well-being, as described by Kollarova et al. [34].

When investigating the attitudes of Ubľa residents toward the arrival of foreign nationals, with an emphasis on people fleeing from Ukraine, depending on educational background, it was found that residents with secondary education have a predominantly negative opinion of the arrival of foreign nationals, while they disagree that the war conflict in Ukraine alone justifies the arrival of people fleeing from Ukraine to Slovakia. Their opinions are influenced by political preferences and media exposure. These findings are consistent with Ceyhun [11], showing that attitudes toward migration can be influenced by group sympathy, and with Ferwerda et al. [10], who showed that media frames rejecting the idea that refugees are a threat have limited impact.

Ubľa residents, regardless of education, agreed that Slovakia should only accept foreign nationals who are likely to be employed or studying, have a compelling reason for leaving their home country, and follow a religion common in Slovakia. This corresponds with Bansak et al. [9], who found that host country residents favor incoming foreign nationals with employability or compelling reasons for migration, and that attitudes vary by education.

Residents also agreed that people fleeing from Ukraine should have access to education and comprehensive healthcare; however, they stressed that if their sense of security is compromised by arrivals, their attitudes become negative. Ceyhun [11] highlighted that perceived security strongly influences attitudes, while GLOBSEC surveys reported by Murajdová [25] indicated positive attitudes of Hungarians, Poles, and Czechs toward people fleeing from Ukraine, but predominantly negative attitudes among Slovaks, consistent with our findings. Similarly, concerns about security disruption negatively affected life satisfaction, aligning with Węziak-Białowolska [35], who emphasized that a perceived lack of security strongly influences overall life satisfaction. Moreover, researchers also presented evidence that refugees are likely to have a higher net return to criminal activity than economic migrants, as shown by Bell et al. [36], which can be associated with a stronger concern about security disruption, and resettlement of refugees from richer Western democracies to poorer countries was suggested as a possible solution. Regarding employment status, both unemployed and employed residents predominantly agreed that the arrival of foreign nationals affects earnings in a decreasing trend, fills vacant jobs, does not culturally or economically enrich Slovakia, and poses health and security risks, though business owners were less concerned. Previous studies show mixed results: Bond and Gaston [19] found positive effects of immigration on earnings, Akay et al. [20] indicated positive effects on life satisfaction, Breunig, Deutscher, and Breunig et al., [26] found no significant harm to labor market outcomes, Edo [27] suggested potential wage reductions, and Rayevnyeva et al. [7] reported negative effects on the working population but positive effects on GDP.

Regarding emergency management, Ubľa residents were dissatisfied with crisis management from the beginning, perceiving failures mainly at the state and district levels, while appreciating the municipality, NGOs, and especially volunteers. Specific problems identified included state inaction, inefficient resource use, lack of citizen involvement, uncoordinated traffic, and insufficient attention to noise and light pollution. As noted by Bade [1], migration is a response to complex social, economic, ecological, cultural, and political challenges, gradually permeating all spheres of life, and this recognition should guide those responsible for coordination.

Despite limitations, we propose the following recommendations for improving the quality of life of populations affected by the arrival of foreign nationals and people fleeing from Ukraine:

• Conduct in-depth surveys in areas directly affected by arrivals to assess attitudes, fears, and satisfaction, using results to develop effective crisis management plans that actively involve citizens and volunteers.
• Integrate volunteers’ experience into crisis management planning, as their efforts were consistently appreciated by residents.
• Strengthen cooperation among state, district, municipality, NGOs, and volunteers to clearly define roles, responsibilities, and funding obligations in crisis management.
• Counter misinformation campaigns, given that residents perceive arrivals of people fleeing from Ukraine as a security threat influenced by external opinions.
• Conduct reliable statistical analyses to confirm or refute the perceived negative impact of arrivals on quality of life and publicly communicate results, ensuring that findings are used to improve the situation rather than restrict access for those seeking refuge.

Similarly, as highlighted by several authors in their studies, security represents a multidimensional concept whose individual aspects intersect across various domains—from critical infrastructure to individual safety. For this reason, it is essential to examine quality of life from multiple perspectives rather than reducing it to a single-dimensional view [37,38,39]. The role of host communities has often been underexplored in migration research, which has traditionally focused primarily on migrants and their integration processes. However, it is increasingly recognized that it is equally important to examine the quality of life of the native population, as migration processes can significantly shape social dynamics, perceptions, and overall well-being within host societies. As highlighted by Fajth et al. (2019), the assessment of quality of life among domestic residents represents a crucial dimension for understanding the broader societal impacts of migration [40]. In this regard, the present article contributes to addressing this gap by focusing specifically on the perceptions and quality of life of host community residents. This approach responds directly to calls in the literature for a more balanced perspective, as also emphasized by Olcese et al. (2024), who point to the limited attention given to host populations and the need to expand research beyond a predominantly migrant-centered framework [41].

5. Conclusions

The main aim of this research was to find out how the arrival of foreign nationals to Slovakia affects the perceived quality of life of the inhabitants of the selected municipality and to propose measures to improve it. This research was based on an overview of the issues at the national and international level, which formed the basis for the research itself. The results of this research were compared with the current knowledge and based on recommendations for improving the situation were proposed based on the conclusions of the results. In the theoretical part, the question was asked whether migrants significantly affect the perceived quality of life in host countries. Drawing on other studies, we recommend assessing perceived quality of life both objectively and subjectively and not limiting ourselves to GDP. Immigration can affect the attitudes of domestic workers through changes in the wage structure and its amount and competition in the labor market, while public opinion is also strongly shaped by threat perceptions, the media, and political views.

This study carried out on a sample of 87 residents of Ubľa explored their satisfaction with the state’s response to the crisis situation, the impact of the arrival of foreign nationals on their perceived quality of life by occupational status, as well as attitudes towards the arrival of foreign nationals and people fleeing from Ukraine. The results showed statistically significant differences in attitudes by education—more educated respondents had more positive attitudes. However, residents agreed that people fleeing from Ukraine should have access to education and health care, but at the same time their attitude becomes negative if their sense of security is threatened. Unemployed and employed respondents perceived a negative impact of the arrival of foreign nationals on wages and employment and disagreed whether foreign nationals enriched Slovakia culturally and economically, while entrepreneurs expressed the opposite opinion. Overall, Ubľa residents were dissatisfied with the state’s performance in managing the crisis, pointing to a lack of communication, inefficient use of resources, and low citizen involvement.

Based on these findings, suggestions for improving the quality of life of the people of Ubľa, as well as the host country in general, were developed and communicated to those responsible. The results were shared with the municipality and the mayor was consulted. In conclusion, we were able to identify the impact of the arrival of foreign nationals on the perceived quality of life of the residents and propose measures to improve it.