Press Conference | 23.04.2021Impact of Migration Decisions and Trajectories on Families

As BiB Director Prof. Dr. Norbert F. Schneider pointed out, the aim of the Forced Migration and Transnational Family Arrangements: Eritrean and Syrian Refugees in Germany (TransFAR) project, which is being conducted by the BiB and the Research Centre of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), is to clarify the role which the family plays in the decision to migrate and in the migration process. Based on two immigrant groups – one from Eritrea and one from Syria, each consisting of roughly 1,500 men and women between the ages of 18 and 45 – the study examines how the respective family relationships and constellations are currently structured, how the people are socially integrated and how satisfied they are with their current situation.

These two countries were chosen because, numerically speaking, they are among the nations with the highest immigration figures, and the immigrants have very good prospects of staying in Germany. Eritrea, for example, is the country with the second largest African group of origin in Germany after Morocco. Accounting for just under 790,000 people in Germany, Syria is currently the third largest immigrant group overall, said Prof. Dr. Schneider.

Recording of the Press Conference (German Release)

Characteristics of the Immigrants

The question of who comes to Germany is also of particular interest here. The findings of the study show, for example, that the immigrants from Eritrea in Germany are several years younger on average than those from Syria. There is also a difference in the educational levels of each group. “More than half of the immigrants from Syria have at least a university entrance qualification or a vocational school diploma. This is only the case for 25 per cent of those from Eritrea, with 41 per cent having no school-leaving qualification,” pointed out the family sociologist.

It is striking that more Eritrean women and men are in employment than their Syrian counterparts. It is not (yet) possible to give a clear reason for this on the basis of the results so far.

What Are the Motives for Migration?

The principal motives of both groups include fleeing violent conflict and war, fear of forced conscription or political, ethnic or religious persecution. "Overall, however, it emerges that the motives for migration are not monocausal, especially in the case of migrants from Syria," said Prof. Dr. Schneider, giving his analysis. In addition to their war-related motives, 24 per cent of this group also stated a desire to study in Germany. However, 58 per cent of Syrian women also stated that the lack of future for their children in Syria was a reason for leaving.

For the Syrian immigrants, family-related migration motives are decisive, while for the Eritrean interviewees the motives are more to be found at the individual level. “This is also related to how the migration decision was made – and with whom,” confirmed BiB researcher Dr. Lenore Sauer. Eritrean men, in particular, tend to make the decision to migrate alone, whereas 78 per cent of Syrian women stated they had made the decision in conjunction with others.

Transnational Constellations of the Extended Family

If the immigrants arrived in Germany with others, it was mainly with other family members, primarily their partner and children. Only the Eritrean men stated that their arrival in Germany was in most cases together with people outside their family. “Family constellations have an influence on how people live in Germany,” Dr. Sauer emphasised. Most of the nuclear family therefore lives in Germany. By contrast, the partner of roughly half of the Eritrean men in a partnership lives abroad. For both groups of origin, however, the extended family rarely lives in Germany, but is abroad or spread across several countries. In most cases, their parents remained in the country of origin, while some of the siblings lived in the country of origin or in other countries. “The nuclear family rarely lives transnationally, but there are certainly transnational extended family constellations. We can see multilocal structures for siblings across three or more countries,” the researcher said.

High Degree of Satisfaction with Circle of Friends and Acquaintances

Personal networks, consisting of key family members and non-family individuals, play an important role in determining the subjective well-being of immigrants in Germany. Who do they discuss personal matters or spend their free time with? BAMF researcher Dr. Anja Stichs used the analysis of the responses to show that most respondents are very satisfied with their circle of friends and acquaintances. However, it is noticeable that the Syrian immigrants have larger networks of social contacts than their Eritrean counterparts. Almost all the significant others of all groups live in Germany. “The network is very tight, especially in the first years after arrival,” concluded Dr. Stichs. Interestingly, satisfaction levels are very high among Eritrean men who do not have the largest networks. This shows that it is not only the size but also the quality of the network that determine the level of satisfaction.

People whose networks also include non-relatives are particularly satisfied. The satisfaction level rises even higher if the network also includes German people. Overall, it is clear that immigrants from Eritrea and Syria in Germany are largely socially integrated and satisfied with their social life.

What Happens Now?

For the first time, the study findings provide an in-depth insight into the actual lives of Eritrean and Syrian people in Germany, emphasised Katrin Hirseland, Directorate-General of the BAMF Research Centre. These findings can therefore now be used as the basis for improving the promotion of integration. “What is important is offering low-threshold support from as early a stage as possible,” she emphasised. A further question is how contacts can be further reinforced in the support measures. The results will now be put into practice at the political and administrative levels. There will also be further exploration of certain topics such as family constellations and the factors which determine extra-familial contacts.

In addition, other researchers will be given the opportunity to work with the data from the study. These are expected to be made available via GESIS or the BAMF Research Data Centre in 2022.