Advertisement

Turks: Germany must do more for integration

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
Turks: Germany must do more for integration
Photo: DPA

The vast majority of Turkish immigrants in Germany think their adopted country should do more to accommodate them, according to a new study released on Thursday.

Advertisement

Forty-five percent of the Turks surveyed said that they feel unwelcome in Germany. But an overwhelming 82 percent said their host should do more to aid their integration.

Germany is home to almost three million people with Turkish roots, making it the world's largest Turkish diaspora and Germany's largest ethnic minority.

The study said Turks were already engaged in many aspects of German society such working, paying taxes and being able to afford consumer goods such as cars. But mentally, there was still a huge gulf between Turks and their host country.

“This is a group of people who are deeply committed to their cultural and religious roots and Turkish values,” the study said. “And they are not fundamentally prepared to give them up.”

A damning report published in February found that although many Turks have been in Germany for nearly 50 years they are the least well integrated of all immigrant communities.

Other recent surveys have shown that they are more likely to leave school without qualifications than the overall population, more likely to be unemployed and below the poverty line.

This latest survey was carried out by research institutes Info GmbH and Antalya-based Liljeberg Research International. Around 1,000 Germans, people in Germany with Turkish roots and Turks in Turkey took part in the survey.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also