Analyses based on the special module implemented in the 9th wave of the CILS4EU-DE panel survey show that young German adults, regardless of whether they are majority native-born or have a migration background, have a lower preference for partnerships with refugees from Syria and Afghanistan compared to partnerships with Germans. Among all respondents, young people who are themselves or whose parents are from Turkey―especially those who consume Turkish media extensively and identify strongly with their country of origin―are the most opposed to partnerships with refugees.
Furthermore, religious affiliation and religiosity remain important factors in the partnership preferences of young adults in Germany, and these preferences depend on the level of commitment to a partnership. Respondents who identify with Christianity and Islam prefer partners of the same denomination, while the religiously unaffiliated prefer Christian to Muslim partners. All Muslim respondents show no or little disapproval of a religious partner, whereas Christian respondents or those with no religion strongly disapprove any religious partners. Christian respondents' preference for partners of the same denomination is highest for marriage, followed by stable partnerships and lowest for dating. Male Muslim respondents are similarly strongly in favour of marriage and committed partnership with Muslims, but are more open to dating non-Muslim partners. For female Muslims, the preference for Muslim partners is similarly high, irrespective of the level of commitment in the partnership.
Results based on the 58th wave of the GIP show that interethnic partnerships with refugees are more accepted when these refugees are from Syria rather than Afghanistan, and when these refugees are Christian, less religious and highly educated. Partnerships with refugees are also more accepted when they involve lower levels of commitment, such as dating as opposed to marriage. As the level of commitment increases, the importance of cultural proximity in the acceptance of these partnerships increases.
In the coming months, we will focus on comparing the partnership formation patterns of the established German population, both majority and minority ethnic groups, and refugees. A particular emphasis will be on analysing the effectiveness and reach of online dating and offline partner search methods. A key research question is whether online dating facilitates the formation of romantic relationships between members of different ethnic groups. Another analytical focus will be on the role of the family in the partner search of established immigrants (CILS4EU-DE) and newly arrived refugees (PARFORM data).
We will further analyse the ego-centric network data collected from the PARFORM refugee panel. These data provide a unique opportunity to describe the size, multiplexity and composition of refugee immigrant networks. In addition, we will compare the partnership preferences of both the established German population and refugees, and test whether these are consistent with the characteristics of the respective populations. Finally, we will examine the actual partnership patterns of refugees and how these depend on the partnership preferences/attitudes of Germans with and without a migration background.
