Young Germans on alert: Fear of migration is growing rapidly!

Young Germans on alert: Fear of migration is growing rapidly!

Current surveys in Germany reveal that the younger generation is increasingly concerned about the issue of migration. This concern now even exceeds the fear of climate change, a topic that dominated the discussion until recently. What is particularly striking is that young people aged 14 to 19 are most disturbed by the idea of ​​ongoing migration. Meanwhile, concerns about rising living costs dominate among older people. As the long-term study “The Fears of Germans” shows, the young population group is strongly affected by the fear that the state could be overwhelmed by the influx of migrants.

The representative study has been carried out by R+V Insurance since 1992. In the current issue, 56 percent of those surveyed said they were worried that the state was reaching its limits when it came to accepting migrants. Almost half of the participants also see the potential for growing social tensions due to migration. In East Germany in particular, there is a higher level of concern about immigration, with 60 percent of those surveyed here expressing their concern. This compares to 55 percent in West Germany. The increase in fear of social conflicts is now in fourth place among fears, after being in twelfth place last year.

Social dynamics and cultural conflicts

Political scientist Isabelle Borucki comments on the changes in social focus from economic to cultural and social concerns. She speaks of a “culture war” that is increasingly dominating the discussion about migration. Migration and the associated social shifts are now seen as a priority point of concern, fueling fears among large parts of the population.

Interestingly, researchers are also observing a decline in fears about natural risks. Concern about climate change, previously a dominant topic, has slipped to 13th place in the popularity rankings, five percentage points lower than last year. Fear of natural disasters has also decreased significantly. At the same time, new threats are emerging, such as political extremism. 48 percent fear Islamist terrorism, while 38 percent see right-wing extremism as a danger. Left-wing extremism only seems to concern a minority of seven percent.

Political discontent and its effects

Although the main fears in the area of ​​migration have increased dramatically, there has been a general decrease of three percentage points in the average value of all fears. This result surprised the study authors, especially in view of the “many heated discussions in the media”. However, dissatisfaction with the political leadership remains high, with around a third of Germans giving the federal government poor marks for its work. More details on this topic can be found in a detailed report on www.freilich-magazin.com.