Societies, at least there is no doubt, are composed of different groups and individuals. However, since the arrival of hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, many debates have focused on the otherness of those who have come to Germany in recent years.
The corresponding keywords are: Leitkultur, western values, adaptation.
But how do immigrants look to those who have been living here for a long time? What cultural differences do they perceive, and how do they deal with them? These questions have now been investigated by the migration researcher Timo Tonassi. In an interview he explains the most important results of the study.
SPIEGEL: Mr. Tonassi, are there any issues with which refugees in Germany are particularly hard hit?
Tonassi: Some of the refugees we interviewed said they find it difficult to understand that homosexuality is handled differently in Germany than in their homeland. But the majority also said that you can handle this difference well.
SPIEGEL: Do lesbians and gays have to fear attacks or hostility from asylum seekers?
Timo Tonassi: You can not say that on a flat rate. Anyone who claims that it is difficult to adjust to the equal rights of homosexuals is not automatically homophobic. One can not predict what will result from such perceptions. The only thing that is clear is that there are potential conflict issues.
SPIEGEL: Why did you investigate how refugees in Germany perceive cultural differences?
Tonassi: There are many studies on the perspective of the long-established, but so far we know little about the views of those who have come here in the past few years. This is very important in order to recognize challenges in cultural integration - and to be able to develop the right policies.
Details on the survey
Who is behind the study?
The so-called Policy Brief "Other countries, other customs?" was published by the German Advisory Council on Integration and Migration (SVR) and the Robert Bosch Stiftung. Author of the paper is Timo Tonassi, scientifically accompanied by the sociologist Claudia Diehl and the integration researcher Haci Halil Uslucan.
Who was questioned?
The study is based on data from the "Integration Barometer", for which between July 2017 and January 2018, according to the SVR, 369 refugees were interrogated nationwide. These were persons who came to Germany in 2014 and have submitted or intend to apply for asylum.
Is the survey representative?
The countries of origin of the respondents are Afghanistan, Egypt, Albania, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Tunisia. The sample is therefore not representative of all refugees in Germany, but reflects the main countries of origin of asylum seekers. A comprehensive method report is available here.
How was questioned?
The survey was conducted by telephone. In this case, according to SVR mainly foreign tariff numbers are used - these are numbers of mobile operators that specialize in low tariffs for international telephony.
Which companies participated in the survey?
The German Council of German Foundations for Integration and Migration does not work for profit. It is an initiative of seven foundations: Robert Bosch Foundation, Volkswagen Foundation, Freudenberg Foundation, Bertelsmann Foundation, Vodafone Foundation, Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, Stiftung Mercator.
SPIEGEL: What are your key findings?
Tonassi: The refugees we surveyed sometimes see considerable differences between the prevailing cultural values in their home country and those in Germany - for example, democracy and the rule of law: from the refugees' point of view, both are much more important to the Germans than to their compatriots applies to the equal rights of men and women.
SPIEGEL: So refugees have a fundamental problem with some Western values?
Tonassi: No, that's not the way to say that. Many refugees do not see any differences in the scanned values. But some people perceive differences between the perspectives in Germany and their country of origin. But that does not mean that the compatriots actually think that way - and not that they think as they think of their compatriots.
SPIEGEL: But?
Tonassi: A majority of the interviewees say they can easily adjust to many cultural attitudes in Germany. This is an important insight in the integration debate, because this is where a conversation can begin.
SPIEGEL: What role does the religion of the refugees play?
Tonassi: We did not do any interfaith comparison, but about 70 percent of respondents were Muslims. If they were not able to cope with the cultural differences in the Federal Republic, we should have seen this clearly in our results. Obviously, there is no cultural clash that can only be explained with Islam.
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SPIEGEL: How big is the effect of integration courses?
Tonassi: You can give important impulses in the right direction - no more and no less. These courses are not just about values and cultural issues, but also about language acquisition. Of course, this is essential: To be able to internalize new values, you need experiences in everyday life.
SPIEGEL: Does not the experience with guest worker families also teach that many cultural differences remain, even after several generations?
Tonassi: Yes, but why are cultural differences almost always seen as a problem in public debates? There are also opportunities in that.
SPIEGEL: May you give an example?
Tonassi: Our study shows that respect for older people is very important for many refugees. At the same time, specialists in geriatric care have been missing in Germany for years.
more on the subject
SPIEGEL: You think that this shortcoming could be alleviated by immigration, also thanks to cultural differences?
Tonassi: Of course, not every refugee will go to the care, but there is obviously a potential - especially since many of these people are young and have no vocational training. We should not lose sight of such opportunities in the debates on migration and asylum.