Around 65 million people worldwide are fleeing their homes. Many are also fleeing to Germany. Due to the refugee movement in 2015 and 2016, the migrant population in Germany has now grown to over 18 million people. This corresponds to a share of around 22.5 percent of the total population.
Given the high dynamics of immigration, flight and migration have a major impact on society and politics. It is therefore becoming increasingly important to ask how refugees and migrants experience their everyday lives in Germany, what their goals in life are, what values they adhere to, and what their wishes, fears and expectations for the future are.
For several years, SINUS-Institut has been investigating these and other questions in empirical studies. After all, social science research to better understand the migrant population is a necessary basis for successful integration work.
A variety of topics were examined: home and belonging; attachment and identity; understanding of integration; closeness and distance to natives; experiences of discrimination and places of discrimination; club/group memberships; the role of religion in life; attitudes toward immigration; trust in institutions and political interest; social participation; well-being in initial accommodation and housing preferences; social coexistence; and communication and media use.
