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80 percent of German public in favor of admitting war refugees into Germany

Press Release of May 25, 2016

The SOEP’s Barometer of Public Opinion on Refugees in Germany examines the population’s attitudes, expectations, and fears—most respondents supported the rights of refugees to remain in the country in accordance with EU law and the 1951 Refugee Convention—but the majority are in favor of refugees returning if the situation improves in their country of origin

The majority of people in Germany agree with current asylum rules. These are the findings of a survey conducted on behalf of the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study based at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin). According to the survey, over 80 percent of respondents think it is right to grant asylum to people fleeing armed conflict in their homeland. Two-thirds of respondents were in favor of admitting refugees under the 1951 Refugee Convention. However, support varies, depending on the reason for fleeing. Those persecuted for human rights activism or membership of an ethnic minority can expect a greater willingness to accept them than persecuted labor unionists.  Equally, the majority of Germans surveyed (55 percent) were in favor of refugees returning home once the situation in their country of origin had improved and the reason for fleeing no longer pertained.

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin)

The German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) is one of the leading economic research institutions in Germany. Its core mandates are applied economic research and economic policy advice as well as provision of research infrastructure. As an independent non-profit institution, DIW Berlin is committed to serving the common good. The institute was founded in 1925 as Institut für Konjunkturforschung (Institute for economic cycle research). Since 1982, the Research Infrastructure SOEP (German Socio-Economic Panel Study), a long-term study, is affiliated to DIW Berlin. The institute has been headquartered in Berlin since its founding. As a member of the Leibniz Society, DIW Berlin is predominantly publicly funded.

“A clear majority of the population are in favor of granting temporary asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention,” said Director of SOEP Jürgen Schupp. Together with Jürgen Gerhards of the Freie Universität Berlin and Silke Hans from the University of Göttingen, he analyzed the third wave of the Barometer of Public Opinion on Refugees in Germany, a representative survey of over 2,000 citizens conducted by TNS Infratest. “However, their hospitality has a time limit. Around 55 percent want to send the refugees back when the reasons for fleeing no longer pertain.” This would even apply if the person seeking protection had lived in Germany for several years. “However, approximately 28 percent of respondents advocated a permanent right to remain in Germany,” said Prof. Schupp.

According to the survey, the respondents’ assessment of the impact of immigration on the German economy is somewhat more positive. In contrast to the first two survey rounds in January and February, in March the same number of people—around one-third—indicated they saw immigration as bringing either more opportunities or more risks. Nevertheless, concerns and negative assessments regarding the short-term impact prevailed. Respondents with higher levels of education were more likely to agree with asylum rights than those less educated. Agreement was also lower in eastern Germany and among supporters of right-leaning political parties. But even in these groups, the majority were in favor of temporarily admitting refugees on humanitarian grounds.

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