Politicized Volunteers? Hybridity and Change in Refugee Support in Germany

Building upon recent debates on the (a)political qualities of refugee support, this article draws from a quantitative survey among refugee supporters in Germany (n=2000) to assess the prevalence of political motivations and practices, the existence of a distinct “political” type of refugee supporters and potential dynamics of politicization during engagement. Our data document a) a diverse field of action with widespread political and non-political motivations and practices; b) notable attitudinal differences between politically active or motivated volunteers and those that are not; and c) our findings tentatively suggest that involvement in supporting refugees brings about political implications for those involved. Essentially, however, our study documents the need for a nuanced perspective on the motivations and forms of engagement to gain a fuller understanding of this multifaceted and dynamic field of civic action.