Athens has released three reports which have been carried out by the Observatory of Refugee Inflows program. The findings said that only a small amount of the refugee population surveyed expressed a desire to remain in Greece.

The difficult living conditions at the various migrant reception centers across the Greek mainland and islands have been well documented, as Greece - in the midst of a deep financial crisis - continues to struggle to cope with the influx of refugees and huge backlog of asylum applications.

Athens overburdened by migrants

There are 18,000 migrants registered at the various camps in and around the Greek capital. Of these, 2,600 are housed at the Elaionas camp, 1,600 in apartments rented under a program by the UN's refugee agency and the municipal authority, and up to 3,000 are living in squats or shelters run by NGOs in areas including the old Athens airport at Elliniko.

City Mayor Giorgos Kaminis said it was high time that refugees were more fairly distributed among other parts of the country."It is Athens that ends up paying the price when local municipal authorities and the state shirk their responsibilities," Kaminis said, speaking at a press conference announcing the results of the surveys.

Kaminis reiterated his call for legislative action that would "ensure every municipality of Greece hosts a fair share of migrants and refugees" in order to ease the pressure on places like Athens and the islands of the eastern Aegean which have borne the brunt of the migrant crisis.

Locals want state solidarity

The data from the survey also revealed that 66 percent of Athenians do not believe that the presence of migrants in their neighborhoods is a problem, contrary to popular perceptions. Moreover, the research showed that most Greeks wanted authorities to show solidarity and provide refugees with schooling and healthcare, although they did not want them to stay in the country on a permanent basis.

Also, at the same time the study found that 44 percent of Athenians do regard refugees as a potential threat and 54 percent said they thought it is not possible to absorb them completely into Greek society.

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