Integration of ethnic German resettlers , Date: 2022.03.31, format: project (finished), area: Authority

The Research Centre of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has worked together on a project with the scientific staff at the Expert Council on Integration and Migration (SVR) in order to study the current state of the integration of ethnic German resettlers in Germany. This study tapped into the potential for analysis offered by a variety of data sources.

Approx. 4.6 million ethnic German resettlers (referred to as Aussiedler until 1992 and Spätaussiedler since 1993) and their family members have come to Germany since 1950. They have primarily come from the countries of the former Soviet Union, Poland and Romania. The BAMF's Research Centre has already presented a comprehensive study on this important group of immigrants in 2013 (see "Further information / Downloads") and has worked together with the scientific staff of the SVR in order to update and expand this insight.

A major foundation for this was formed by the "Integration barometer", which is carried out every two years on behalf of the SVR. This is a nationwide telephone survey of people with and without a migration background. The "Integration barometer" focusses on integration-related questions in terms of cultural, social and identification factors. This was complemented by an analysis of registration data from the Federal Office of Administration and a special evaluation of the Microcensus from the Federal Statistical Office, carried out by the BAMF's Research Centre. This also made it possible to include in the project structural aspects of integration such as education and labour market participation.

The evaluations show that ethnic German resettlers are well integrated as a whole: They have a high level of labour market participation, and they have a good knowledge of German, as well as having a high level of identification with Germany. At the same time, however, they show a pronounced tendency towards favouring the parties that are positioned at the political fringes, as well as a relatively negative attitude towards refugees. They can also be seen to be more strongly effected by poverty in old age.

Challenges particularly emerge for ethnic German resettlers from the former Soviet Union. Changes to the legal framework regulations in the 1990s, as well as a shorter average stay, lead amongst other things to these individuals also being in a somewhat more unfavourable economic situation than ethnic German resettlers from other regions of origin. They are also somewhat less satisfied with the political situation in Germany.

The results of the research project were released on 31 March 2022 as a publication of the SVR under the title "Successful integration? The lifeworlds and social participation of ethnic Aussiedler".