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July 19, 2021 | 19 Pages | English | Daniel Garrote Sánchez
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Understanding Refugees’ Intentions to Return to Syria

Even though the conflict in Syria continues to rage on, UNHCR estimates that about 250,000 Syrian refugees have already returned to their country since 2016—60,000 of them from Lebanon. Although security conditions in Syria are still not safe for a large return of refugees, some have been forcibly returned to Syria by the Lebanese state. Yet, there are others that have chosen to do so voluntarily. This brief sheds light on refugees’ past experiences of return in post-conflict countries as well as the current intentions to return among Syrian refugees in Lebanon. By using the LCSRHCL (2018)—a large survey of Syrian refugee and Lebanese individuals and households in Lebanon—this brief examines the multivariate reasons refugees choose to return to Syria or remain in Lebanon. We conclude with an assessment of the main drivers that lead to such decisions and what implications those drivers have for policymakers in Lebanon and internationally.