Understanding politics, trusting politicians, participating in politics

Political self-efficacy of people with and without a migration background. An analysis based on the SVR Integration Barometer 2018

Integration Department

Project head: Prof. Dr. Magdalena Nowicka

The public debate currently revolves around trust, cohesion and commitment, among others, as central concepts. Politics" or "democracy" is said to be in "crisis". The competence of political leaders is questioned, among other things by accusing them of representing the interests of a few but not those of the majority population. This seems to diminish the desire for political participation, while frustration and annoyance increase and find expression either in abstinence from voting or in 'protest voting'. This applies to those who have lived here for a long time as well as to people with a migration background, who make up a good fifth of the population - half of them with German citizenship. Political participation is not only an indicator of the functioning of democracies, it is also a measure of successful integration.

In the new SVR Integration Barometer, people without and with a migration background are asked, among other things, about their political competence and the perception of their political influence ("political efficacy" or "political self-efficacy"). The evaluation of these questions enables both a comparison between persons with and without a migration background as well as in-depth findings with regard to individual groups of origin among the latter.

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

Cooperation partner:

Expert Council on Integration and Migration (SVR)