Post-migrant societies

Consensus and Conflict Department

Project head: Prof. Dr. Ralf Wölfer

Running time August 2018 until December 2020
Status Completed project

The project examines different attitudes toward minority participation within the German population. The focus is on how people in Germany perceive and evaluate minority participation in social processes. Debates in post-migrant society harbour potential for conflict because they touch on fundamental democratic principles.

Guiding research questions

How are minorities and their opportunities for participation perceived and evaluated in German society?
What factors influence attitudes toward plurality, democracy, and social participation?
To what extent can paradoxes and ambivalences be identified in the perception of equality and belonging?
What differences exist between different population groups (e.g., East Germans, Muslims, migrant samples)?

The project examines attitudes toward minority participation among the German population. To this end, a comprehensive survey was conducted covering topics such as recognition, deprivation, exclusion, democratic beliefs, and paradoxes. The aim is to capture social attitudes toward plurality, equality, and belonging in a differentiated manner.

The survey is to be continued in the future, with a core set of questions on anti-Muslim attitudes, democratic convictions, and plurality remaining unchanged. In addition, changing thematic focuses or specific respondent groups—such as migrant samples—can be included. The data collected will reveal long-term trends and changes and serve as a basis for monitoring post-migrant society. Findings from the survey will also be incorporated into other projects in the department and contribute to the conceptual development of the field of research.

Until now, there has been a lack of continuous and comparative empirical data on the perception and evaluation of minorities among the German population. The project creates a systematic basis for observing social developments in post-migrant society and enables long-term analyses of changes in attitudes.

  • Collection of empirical data on attitudes toward minorities, plurality, and democracy.
  • Establishment of a recurring survey as a monitoring tool for post-migrant society.
  • Identification of areas of tension, paradoxes, and differences in perception among the population.
  • Provision of empirical foundations for scientific analysis, political decision-making processes, and social debates.

The project has led to a series of in-depth analyses, including on the topics of “Eastern identity” and “resistance to plurality.” Parallels were found when comparing East Germans and Muslims. In addition, attitudes toward the headscarf ban and the fall of the Berlin Wall were examined. The project has resulted in several scientific publications, including research notes and specialist articles.

The research provides empirical findings on social attitudes toward minorities, democracy, and plurality. It shows that social conflicts are often an expression of underlying tensions between norms of equality and the need for differentiation. The results form a basis for the development of long-term social monitoring.

  • Promotion of continuous social science surveys on social plurality and democracy.
  • Use of survey results for political education and the promotion of democracy.
  • Development of long-term monitoring structures to identify social developments at an early stage.
  • Greater integration of the perspectives of marginalized groups into political decision-making processes.

Funding: Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Institutional funding)