Analysing the impact of narratives in onward migration of Afghan nationals from Istanbul to Europe

Information is a key element in the decision-making process for refugees and migrants considering moving on from a transit situation. This Working Paper explores how personal experiences of Afghan refugees and migrants residing in Turkey, as well as their access to networked information sources, create their dominant narrative on onward migration. Further, the report investigates how Afghan migrants’ narrative on migration relates to and contrasts with the main messages of EU-funded government information campaigns targeting potential migrants. The report is based on qualitative interviews with 46 Afghan refugees and migrants from all social strata. Most of these had left Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover in August 2021.