Host community attitudes toward Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

The Rohingya displacement crisis in Cox’s Bazar has placed pressure on host communities through perceived livelihood competition, local security concerns, and environmental degradation. This study examines associations between measured socio demographic characteristics, host community attitudinal position, and preferred policy response, while identifying perceived economic, social, and environmental concerns in open ended responses. Using primary survey data from 393 host community respondents, the study applies an exploratory mixed methods design combining descriptive statistics, Pearson chi squared tests with Monte Carlo p values for sparse tables, Cramer’s V effect sizes, Holm adjusted p values, adjusted binary logistic regression, and exploratory lexical categorisation with thematic grouping. Results show a sharply segmented attitudinal distribution: 66.4% opposed Rohingya presence, 19.6% were neutral or indifferent, and 14.0% were sympathetic. Policy preferences were also concentrated: 67.7% favoured immediate departure, 23.7% supported managed departure within five years, 5.3% preferred relocation to Bhasan Char, and 3.3% supported continued stay. At the unadjusted bivariate level, attitudinal position was associated with gender, education, occupation, family type, and income; however, adjustment for multiple testing showed that family type provided the most robust bivariate signal. Adjusted logistic regression indicated that gender was not independently significant after accounting for other socio demographic variables. The lexical categorisation identified price hike, jobs or employment, food availability, drugs, stealing or robbery, smuggling, vegetation loss, hill loss, and biodiversity loss as salient perceived concerns. The findings provide cautious associational evidence to inform conflict sensitive livelihood, grievance, safety, and environmental policy responses.