These are the kinds of refugees that Europeans want to accept

Europeans play favorites when it comes to refugees — and the ones they prefer are highly skilled, vulnerable, and not Muslim, researchers say. People across 15 countries and the political spectrum are more willing to grant asylum to seekers with these traits than others. Politicians who want to shape public opinion and persuade their constituents to accept more refugees could emphasize these factors.

Researchers asked 18,000 eligible voters to look at hypothetical profiles and decide whether to grant asylum, according to a study published today in Science. These 180,000 profiles randomly varied on a few attributes, like country of origin and religion — so, for instance, maybe two profiles would be the same, except one person is from...