A new “Integration Barometer” by Germany’s Expect Council on Integration and Migration has found that “positive attitudes” towards migrants’ integration are on the decline in the federal republic.

Germany’s attitudes towards migrants’ integration are changing

A representative survey conducted by Germany’s Expert Council on Integration and Migration (SVR) on the country’s “integration climate” has found that “positive attitudes” towards migrants’ integration are on a slight decline.

The survey asked 15.000 respondents to rate the “integration climate” in relation to four areas central to integration; work, education, social relationships and the diversity of neighbourhoods.

Between a score of zero to 100 - the higher the better - respondents gave Germany’s current “integration climate” an overall rating of 66,3. The ranking was slightly lower among participants with no migrant background (64,9) than respondents with a migrant background (70,3). 

Among those without a migrant background, the overall score fell from 68,1 in 2021 / 2022 and 65,6 in 2019 / 2020. Among those with a migrant background, the score has remained relatively stable between 69 and 70,3 since 2015.

While the year-on-year shift has only been marginal, Federal Independent Commissioner for Anti-discrimination Ferda Ataman said the survey showed that “the climate against migrants has worsened,” pointing to another recent study which found more than half of migrants in Germany experience discrimination at work or from government agencies.

What does Germany do to help migrants integrate?

Another 2024 study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that in a comparison of OECD member countries, Germany did more to help migrants integrate.

Among other factors, the OECD assessed a country’s success in integrating migrants based on ease of integration into the labour market, living conditions and the educational outcomes of migrant children.

Integration courses, which many non-EU nationals are either entitled or obliged to attend upon arrival in Germany, are a key part of this process. Most integration courses begin with a German language course, which equips migrants with everyday language skills and improves their prospects of well-paid work.

But Germany still doesn’t go far enough to support newcomers, according to the OECD. While two-thirds of migrants to Germany have developed good skills informally at language classes or integration courses within the first five years of living in the federal republic, the number drops off sharply to one-quarter among migrants with little to no formal education.

Despite the OECD’s findings, Olaf Scholz’s outgoing federal government announced in July that its 2025 budget would halve funding for integration courses from 1,1 billion euros to 500 million euros. 

With Scholz having lost his confidence vote, a snap election scheduled for February 23, 2025, and a new budget yet to be drawn up, the extent to which the next federal government will support migrants’ integration into the workplace, education system and with social relationships remains to be seen.

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