Refugee Policy Preferences in Germany: The Influence of Threat Perceptions and Personal Circumstances on the Rejection of Three Different Refugee Groups

This study focuses on the prevalence of the rejection of refugees in the German population and the factors that contribute to such negative attitudes. According to Integrated Threat Theory, people aim to protect their status in society by devaluing and rejecting outgroups that are perceived as threatening. Using data from a German population survey (N = 1,461), we address the extent to which the rejection of the influx of asylum seekers is influenced by the subjective perception that refugees pose a threat to the German economy, culture, security, or social coherence. We differentiate between refugees from Arab, Central African, and Eastern European countries and analyze to what extent threat perceptions and the rejection of immigration differ depending on refugees’ home region. Results show that a) different threat perceptions relate to the rejection of different refugee groups, with refugees from Arab countries being the most affected group, and b) the extent to which people perceive threats by refugees is dependent on respondents’ social circumstances such as financial difficulties and experiences of marginalization. The implications of these findings for communication efforts to improve the social integration of refugees into the German society are discussed.