Attitudes towards immigrants in Germany

Abstract

This research analyzes the attitudes towards immigrants in Germany from 2004 to 2016 and tries to uncover the determinants behind, using an ordered logit regression model. My findings suggest that high income, university education, recent immigration flow, adherence to Islam, high religiosity, being employed, being from the Western part of Germany, being widowed, and having never been married positively affect the view about immigrants. Respondents with such characteristics believe that immigrants positively affect the cultural life in Germany and make the country a better place to live in. Moreover, while females believe that immigrants positively affect the cultural life in Germany, elderly Germans and respondents whose parents were born in Germany believe that immigrants make the country a worse place to live in even though they do not undermine the cultural life.