Political and social participation in countries of immigration: New insights into the representation and participation of people with a migration background living in Germany (June 2019 – June 2021)

Of all the various areas of participation which are particularly relevant to integration policy – for instance education and training, the labour market, housing and health – it is political participation and other areas of social participation which have so far been largely ignored by research. Questions raised include: Do migrants feel they are well represented within the political system in Germany? Do they trust its various institutions? And are they politically/socially active?

The SVR Research Unit’s project will be looking at key determinants in regard to an understanding of and trust in politics, political action/participation and social engagement by evaluating relevant items in the 2018 and 2020 SVR Integration Barometers. Account will be taken of different groups of origin (including in comparison to those without a migration background), gender differences, migrant generations, regional specifics and socio-demographic background variables.

The planned study is part of the “BePart – Political Participation Starts at the Local Level!” project for which Minor – Projektkontor für Bildung und Forschung has lead responsibility. “BePart” is supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration and the Federal Agency for Civic Education. Research results were published in March 2021.

Publication

Study (Summary)

Part of the game or just onlookers? Political participation and civil engagement among people in Germany with migrations backgrounds