Smugglers are often portrayed in media, policy and political debates as having a major role in luring individuals into undertaking irregular migration journeys. Is this really the case? Using 4Mi data collected from a diverse global sample of almost 60,000 surveys with migrants across the world we observe the influencers to migrants’ decisions to embark on their journeys and to what degree smugglers play a role in such a decision. Based on actual evidence coming from 60,000 individuals, the simple answer is no: smugglers are not luring people into undertaking irregular migration journeys.
In only four percent of respondents globally, smugglers were indicated as influencing the decision to migrate. No respondent from Latin America and the Caribbean cited being influenced by smugglers, while this was the case for only two percent of respondents from Asia, five percent from Eastern or Southern Africa and seven percent from West or North Africa, with Nigeria being the country of origin with the highest proportion of smuggler influence (15%).
Contrary to the common perception and narrative that smugglers significantly sway potential migrants, evidence shows that, for the most part, such decisions are made either fully individually or in consultation with family/social networks.