Periodic Reporting for period 2 - PARFORM (Partnership formation in the context of recent refugee migration)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-09-01 do 2024-02-29
In 2015-16, Germany received large numbers of young, unmarried male refugees arriving from culturally distant countries and settling in areas with often non-existent co-ethnic infrastructure. This situation is likely to complicate the process of refugee partnership formation. Against this background, the project aims to answer three research questions:
1. To what extent is the formation of partnerships among newly arrived refugees in Germany determined by the demographic situation, and how does this process compare with patterns observed among the established German population (both majority and minority ethnic groups)?
2. How do social media and online dating affect the formation of partnerships among newly arrived refugee immigrants?
3. How do established members of German society react to refugee mating attempts and how is this reflected in immigrant partnership patterns?
While the first research question is largely descriptive, the others seek to advance the theoretical and analytical frameworks of the field by broadening our understanding of opportunity structures in the age of the Internet and social media, and by conceptualising partnership formation as a genuinely two-way interactive process.
PARFORM (1) collects novel three-wave panel data on male refugee migrants from Syria and Afghanistan and (2) administers specially designed instruments in two representative panel studies (GIP and GESIS panels as well as CILS4EU-DE) to collect data on the established German population. Multi-actor, multi-time and multi-level data are analysed using advanced methods of network, panel and hierarchical data analysis.
By combining theoretical innovation, methodological rigour and analytical depth, PARFORM aims to contribute to scholarly debates on immigrant partnership formation in the multidisciplinary fields of sociology of migration, demography and network studies. Its findings will have policy implications for the social integration of refugees in Germany and Europe as a whole.
1. To what extent is the formation of partnerships among newly arrived refugees in Germany determined by the demographic situation, and how does this process compare with patterns observed among the established German population (both majority and minority ethnic groups)?
2. How do social media and online dating affect the formation of partnerships among newly arrived refugee immigrants?
3. How do established members of German society react to refugee mating attempts and how is this reflected in immigrant partnership patterns?
While the first research question is largely descriptive, the others seek to advance the theoretical and analytical frameworks of the field by broadening our understanding of opportunity structures in the age of the Internet and social media, and by conceptualising partnership formation as a genuinely two-way interactive process.
PARFORM (1) collects novel three-wave panel data on male refugee migrants from Syria and Afghanistan and (2) administers specially designed instruments in two representative panel studies (GIP and GESIS panels as well as CILS4EU-DE) to collect data on the established German population. Multi-actor, multi-time and multi-level data are analysed using advanced methods of network, panel and hierarchical data analysis.
By combining theoretical innovation, methodological rigour and analytical depth, PARFORM aims to contribute to scholarly debates on immigrant partnership formation in the multidisciplinary fields of sociology of migration, demography and network studies. Its findings will have policy implications for the social integration of refugees in Germany and Europe as a whole.
In the first half of the project, the PARFORM team was involved in the data collection of in-depth interviews with 9 Syrian and 9 Afghan refugee men living in Germany. Using these data, we examined how refugees' resources, such as education and German language skills, increase their chances of finding a German partner, whether recent refugees are excluded from the German dating market due to discrimination, and under what conditions online dating can help overcome these barriers. We further discussed alternative search strategies used by male refugees who are less successful in the German dating market.
In addition, a special module was designed and implemented in the 9th wave of the CILS4EU-DE panel survey to explore the preferences of the established German population―both with and without a migrant background―for partnerships with newly arrived refugees. Similar survey experiments were conducted in the GIP and GESIS panel surveys to examine the attitudes of the established German population towards partnerships with newly arrived refugees. The proposed vignettes consisted of a multi-dimensional description of a potential partner (a vignette person) and various types of partnerships. Respondents were either asked their own willingness to enter such a partnership (PARFORM, CILS4EU-DE) or their reaction if a relative enters such a partnership (GIP and GESIS panels). Using the available data from the above mentioned modules, the project team has prepared a number of publications, which are currently either in print or under review.
The PARFORM team was further involved in the preparation of questionnaire for face-to-face and online interviews with PARFORM respondents and the collection of self-administered online interviews with Afghan refugees. While the second wave of the PARFORM panel survey is currently being collected, the collection of the first wave of PARFORM data is almost complete. Based on the CILS4EU-DE data, the team has started to analyse the partnership formation patterns of the established German population, which will be compared with the patterns of the refugee population once the PARFORM data are finalised. A particular focus will be placed on the effectiveness of online and offline dating methods for forming romantic relationships between members of different ethnic groups.
In addition, a special module was designed and implemented in the 9th wave of the CILS4EU-DE panel survey to explore the preferences of the established German population―both with and without a migrant background―for partnerships with newly arrived refugees. Similar survey experiments were conducted in the GIP and GESIS panel surveys to examine the attitudes of the established German population towards partnerships with newly arrived refugees. The proposed vignettes consisted of a multi-dimensional description of a potential partner (a vignette person) and various types of partnerships. Respondents were either asked their own willingness to enter such a partnership (PARFORM, CILS4EU-DE) or their reaction if a relative enters such a partnership (GIP and GESIS panels). Using the available data from the above mentioned modules, the project team has prepared a number of publications, which are currently either in print or under review.
The PARFORM team was further involved in the preparation of questionnaire for face-to-face and online interviews with PARFORM respondents and the collection of self-administered online interviews with Afghan refugees. While the second wave of the PARFORM panel survey is currently being collected, the collection of the first wave of PARFORM data is almost complete. Based on the CILS4EU-DE data, the team has started to analyse the partnership formation patterns of the established German population, which will be compared with the patterns of the refugee population once the PARFORM data are finalised. A particular focus will be placed on the effectiveness of online and offline dating methods for forming romantic relationships between members of different ethnic groups.
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.
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.