Selective Solidarity – What Germany’s Latest Data on Refugees Reveals

#1 · September 17, 2025, 6:00 pm

Quote from evan on September 17, 2025, 6:00 pm

In 2023, the Scientific Staff of the Sachverständigenrat für Integration und Migration (SVR) published a Policy Brief that tells us something uncomfortable: while solidarity in Germany with refugees is generally high, it is not evenly distributed.

The survey, carried out in early 2023 with over 4,000 participants, used carefully designed “vignettes” to test how people react to refugees of different profiles: a 27-year-old from Ukraine, Syria, or Nigeria; Christian or Muslim; male or female; with or without a university degree; intending to stay or to return.

The main findings

High willingness to help overall. Three out of four respondents would donate, and nearly a third would even host a refugee at home.

But solidarity is selective. Ukrainians were viewed more favorably than Syrians or Nigerians; Christians more than Muslims; women more than men; highly educated more than less educated. Refugees who said they wanted to return home received more immediate sympathy than those who wanted to stay.

Trust matters. The strongest predictor of openness was whether people trusted local institutions and felt politically effective. Where citizens feel heard and supported by their municipalities, they are more willing to stand with newcomers.

What this means for immigration policy

The study indirectly reveals the policy target: Germany is not short on solidarity, but solidarity is fragile and uneven. It depends on perceptions of fairness, similarity, and institutional reliability. If politics wants to stabilize support, it must:

guarantee equal treatment regardless of origin – the current “two-track” system (Ukrainians under temporary protection, others through asylum) fuels perceptions of unfairness;

strengthen municipal capacity and trust, because solidarity is strongest when local institutions work well;

recognize volunteers and citizens, ensuring their engagement feels effective and valued.

Why this matters today

Behind every statistic are children and families who cannot wait while politics negotiates categories. The SVR data shows that the German population is ready to support – but only if the state provides clarity and fairness.

For cases like mine, where children remain stateless despite years of life in Germany, the message is clear: citizenship is not a privilege to be delayed but the stability that keeps solidarity alive.

In 2023, the Scientific Staff of the Sachverständigenrat für Integration und Migration (SVR) published a Policy Brief that tells us something uncomfortable: while solidarity in Germany with refugees is generally high, it is not evenly distributed.

The survey, carried out in early 2023 with over 4,000 participants, used carefully designed “vignettes” to test how people react to refugees of different profiles: a 27-year-old from Ukraine, Syria, or Nigeria; Christian or Muslim; male or female; with or without a university degree; intending to stay or to return.

The main findings

High willingness to help overall. Three out of four respondents would donate, and nearly a third would even host a refugee at home.

But solidarity is selective. Ukrainians were viewed more favorably than Syrians or Nigerians; Christians more than Muslims; women more than men; highly educated more than less educated. Refugees who said they wanted to return home received more immediate sympathy than those who wanted to stay.

Trust matters. The strongest predictor of openness was whether people trusted local institutions and felt politically effective. Where citizens feel heard and supported by their municipalities, they are more willing to stand with newcomers.

What this means for immigration policy

The study indirectly reveals the policy target: Germany is not short on solidarity, but solidarity is fragile and uneven. It depends on perceptions of fairness, similarity, and institutional reliability. If politics wants to stabilize support, it must:

guarantee equal treatment regardless of origin – the current “two-track” system (Ukrainians under temporary protection, others through asylum) fuels perceptions of unfairness;

strengthen municipal capacity and trust, because solidarity is strongest when local institutions work well;

recognize volunteers and citizens, ensuring their engagement feels effective and valued.

Why this matters today

Behind every statistic are children and families who cannot wait while politics negotiates categories. The SVR data shows that the German population is ready to support – but only if the state provides clarity and fairness.

For cases like mine, where children remain stateless despite years of life in Germany, the message is clear: citizenship is not a privilege to be delayed but the stability that keeps solidarity alive.