In 2015 and 2016, many people also had little understanding for this attitude. They did not want to take in refugees and migrants. The xenophobic protest movement gave rise to the far-right populist Alternative for Germany party (AfD).
The nonprofit Bertelsmann Foundation in its representative study "Willkommenskultur zwischen Stabilität und Aufbruch," (Welcome Culture Between Stability and Departure) has now taken a closer look at changes in Germans' attitudes and identified a trend: Germans are more optimistic about migration and immigration than they were a few years ago.
"In essence, our survey shows that skepticism toward immigration is still widespread in Germany, but it has continually declined in recent years," says Ulrike Wieland, co-author of the study: "More people now see the potential benefits of migration; especially for the economy. When it comes to perceptions of integration, we find that more respondents than in previous years see inequality of opportunity and discrimination as significant obstacles hampering integration of individuals."
Many see immigration as a way to help solve Germany's demographic and economic problems. For example, two out of three respondents see immigration as helping to balance out an ageing society, more than half of those polled said it could also compensate for the ongoing shortage of skilled workers, and half of all respondents expect immigrants to generate additional revenue for Germany's pension fund.
Germans have overall become more accepting of refugees. But over one-third of respondents (36%) believe that Germany cannot take in any more of them. In 2017, that number stood at 54%. Currently, 20% consider the refugees to be "temporary guests" who do not need to be integrated into society.
"We see that one-fifth of the population is skeptical of refugees or outright rejects them. These people seem to have a worldview that supports the idea of a (far-reaching) social closure against migration," explains co-author Ulrike Wieland.
However, respondents still remain skeptical. The Bertelsmann Foundation study also clearly shows that there is still a lot of skepticism in Germany when it comes to refugees.
67% say that immigrants place an additional burden on the welfare state, 66% say they worry about conflicts erupting between people born and raised in Germany and immigrants, and many respondents fear that schools are facing major problems integrating immigrant students.
Skilled immigrants seeking employment or academic opportunities are more accepted (71%) than refugees who are primarily seeking protection (59 %).
Aid worker Christian Osterhaus looks back at when he started working with refugees: "At the time, I really had the impression that German society had opened up and changed and had actually learned a lot." He believes that interpersonal connections and friendships are the foundation for the path to building a real welcome culture in Germany. Osterhaus was one of hundreds of thousands of people in Germany who set out to help those fleeing civil war in Syria and other countries, and to help integrate them into German society. "We wanted to give these people a new home," Osterhaus says looking back.
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