Looking into Germany’s Black Box - Identifying Citizen Groups Based on Their Attitudes Towards Refugees

• In Event: Civil Society and Transnational Challenges

Abstract

Background and Objectives

The huge growth in the AfD voters in the recent federal election in Germany shows that there is great apprehension among the German population with regard to the large number of refugees reaching Germany since 2015 (lpb-bw, 2017). The associated consequences (increasing xenophobia etc.) (Köhler, 2016) represent a danger to Germany’s social and political order. Therefore, successful integration is actually a key social task in Germany as well as in other European countries. Integrative art projects (IAPs) (Garkisch/Heidings-felder/Beckmann, 2017) offered by arts organizations may provide support by creating a welcoming environment and supplying services aimed at increasing the well-being of refugees. On the other hand, IAPs can also generate an understanding of the refugees’ experiences and help familiarize German citizens with the foreign culture (Terkessidis, 2011). According to intergroup contact theory, contact with members of the ethnic minority is an important way to reduce negative attitudes (e.g. to Muslims) (Allport, 1954; Savelkoul et al., 2011). Discovering each other’s culture can reduce anxieties and inhibitions, reinforce empathy, altruism and tolerance and thus promote integration. In addition to well-being, many other beneficial outcomes of art projects (e.g. economic benefits, improved education results) are known (Leroux/Bernadska, 2014).
A large number of IAPs have taken place since 2015 (Mörsch, 2016). However, most were developed within a short period of time and neither an analysis of the target groups nor sustainable strategies have been developed.

The public perception of integration varies widely: from economic benefits (Boubtane/Dumont/Rault, 2016) to economic burden and competition (Esses/Brochu/Dickson, 2012), from social diversity and successful inclusion to social tensions, xenophobia and exclusion (Amrith, 2014,). Therefore it is important to identify different groups according to their current attitudes towards refugees and integration. Once we understand these groups, it is easier to develop management implications for arts organizations based on the differing needs (Klein, 2008) to achieve IAPs which ensure effective contact between refugees and German society.

Our study answers the following exploratory research questions:

1. What are the current attitudes, for example the principal concerns, fears, inhibitions etc. among the German population towards a) integration in general and b) IAPs in particular?
2. Is it possible to filter out clusters within the German population based on their attitudes towards refugees?

Answering these research questions and characterizing the different clusters will help us understand the current needs of the different groups. As it is well known from audience development strategies, a target-group-oriented approach can increase their willingness to participate in effective IAPs (Allmanritter, 2017). With reference to intergroup contact theory, increased contact probability can support community well-being for all parts of society.

Methodology

To gain detailed information about attitudes among the German population concerning integration in general and IAPs in particular, we conducted a survey (online panel) of 722 German citizens. Using cluster analysis (Chiu, 2001) we were able to filter out four different groups. Based on these results we will give recommendations for the development of effective IAPs and how to increase participation.

Authors

• Hellen Petra Gross, University of Applied Sciences Saarbrücken

• Nicole Schwarz, University of Applied Sciences Saarbrücken

• Katharina Hary, University of Applied Sciences Saarbrücken

• Stefanie Cramer von Clausbruch, University of Applied Sciences Saarland

• Carolin Ackermann, University of Applied Sciences Saarbrücken