Lenore Sauer

Objective: This study examines transnational multidirectional support among refugees in Germany and their family members living at origin or in other countries. Background: Previous research has focused primarily on transnational support among labour migrants, whereas refugee families' transnational practices and care circulation have largely been neglected. Method: The empirical analysis is based on the TransFAR data (2020), a representative quantitative survey of refugees from Eritrea and Syria conducted in Germany. We use descriptive statistics to document the geographical distribution of family members across countries and the prevalence of transnational support exchanges, and multivariate logistic regression models to identify factors associated with sending and receiving support. Results: Eritrean and Syrian refugees in Germany show transnational family arrangements primarily through extended family members. Among the individual-level factors, labour-market incorporation in Germany is crucial for transnational exchange, particularly for sending, while having property at origin is associated with a higher likelihood of receiving support. Syrians are more transnational than Eritreans in both sending and receiving, and gender patterns are origin-specific, with Eritrean men more likely to send and Syrian women more likely to receive. Conclusion: Refugee families show important transnational structures and maintain limited but meaningful multidirectional support across borders. The findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between nuclear and extended family ties, and between origin and third countries, as these dimensions shape who sends and receives support.

Mehr als drei Jahre nach der Ankunft vieler Schutzsuchender liefert die Studie umfangreiche quantitative Informationen zu Lebenslagen und Perspektiven sowie differenzierte Einblicke in zeitliche Entwicklungen und Veränderungen mit zunehmender Aufenthaltsdauer. Im Fokus der Analyse stehen Entwicklungen und Veränderungen in der Sozialstruktur, Familienentwicklung, Teilhabe von Kindern und Jugendlichen, Arbeitsmarktpartizipation, soziale Teilhabe sowie weiteres Wanderungsverhalten Erwachsener.

Die Studie liefert umfangreiche quantitative Informationen zu Lebenslagen und Perspektiven sowie differenzierte Einblicke in zeitliche Entwicklungen und Veränderungen mit zunehmender Aufenthaltsdauer. Im Fokus der Analyse stehen Entwicklungen und Veränderungen in der Sozialstruktur, Familienentwicklung, Teilhabe von Kindern und Jugendlichen, Arbeitsmarktpartizipation, soziale Teilhabe sowie weiteres Wanderungsverhalten Erwachsener.

This paper examines the new ties refugees form within the first years after arriving in destination countries. While prior research has assessed new ties mainly in relation to integration outcomes and within inter-ethnic ties, our analyses take a broader view of the importance of new contacts by systematically adopting an ego-centric network approach and by differentiating between various types of networks (emotional support, companionship, and practical support network). Drawing on representative quantitative survey data of recent refugees from Eritrea and Syria collected in Germany in 2020 (TransFAR survey), our analytical approach is divided into two parts: First, we investigate on the alter-level (i.e., the persons mentioned in the network) who the newly met persons are and which kind of support they provide, employing descriptive analyses. Second, we conduct multivariate regression analyses on the ego-level (i.e., the respondent) to examine the migration and family-related factors associated with forming new ties. The empirical findings underscore the importance of new contacts as crucial sources of resources and support, particularly in providing practical assistance. Furthermore, our study shows that migration and family-related factors are important for establishing new ties: refugees having other family members in Germany, either a spouse or because they arrived together with kin, are less likely to include newly established contacts in their networks compared to those without a spouse or who arrived in Germany without family. The relative importance of these factors varies between network types. Moreover, as migration circumstances and family constellations differ by gender and country of origin, substantial variations concerning the formation of new ties are observed between men and women and between refugees from Eritrea and Syria.

Der russische Angriffskrieg auf die Ukraine hat die größte Fluchtbewegung in Europa seit Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs ausgelöst. Seit Kriegsbeginn sind mehr als eine Million Menschen aus der Ukraine nach Deutschland geflohen. Erste repräsentative Erkenntnisse über deren Lebenssituation und Zukunftspläne ermöglicht die Studie „Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine in Deutschland ((IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP Befragung)“, eine gemeinsame Studie des Instituts für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), des Bundesinstituts für Bevölkerungsforschung (BiB), des Forschungszentrums des Bundesamts für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF-FZ) und des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) am DIW Berlin. Für diese Studie wurden 11.763 Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine in der Zeit zwischen August und Oktober 2022 befragt.

This study describes the first wave of the IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP Survey on Ukrainian Refugees in Germany, a unique panel dataset based on over 11,000 interviews conducted between August and October 2022. The aim of the IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP Survey is to provide a data-infrastructure for theory-driven and evidence-based research on various aspects of integration among Ukrainian refugees in Germany, the second most important destination country in the EU after Poland, hosting over a million people who arrived in Germany shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Based on the survey, this study also provides first insights into demographic, educational, linguistic, occupational, and social characteristics of this population. The analyses revealed that the refugee population comprised mostly young and educated individuals, with a significant proportion of females without partners and female-headed separated families. While German language skills were limited, about half of Ukrainian refugees had attended or were attending language courses. However, the integration process faced significant challenges, as the participation of children in day-care was relatively low, and the self-reported life satisfaction was markedly below the average of the German population. The study highlights the need for targeted policy measures to address such issues. Additionally, policies may aim at harnessing the high potential of the Ukrainian refugees for the German labor market. Given that a substantial proportion would like to stay in Germany permanently, policymakers should take note of these findings and aim to facilitate their long-term integration process to ensure that these refugees may thrive in Germany.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many people have fled the war and left their home country. By the end of January 2023, more than one million Ukrainian refugees had been registered in Germany alone. In contrast to refugees from other countries of origin in Germany, Ukrainian citizens can choose their place of residence if they have either found private accommodation with family members or friends or do not claim state support. However, little information exists on where within Germany Ukrainian refugees have moved and why certain regions are potentially more attractive than others. There exists a substantial literature on the location choices of migrants in general, showing that the existing level of immigrant concentration is an important determinant, while economic factors have a smaller effect – if not in the initial location choice after immigration, then at least in later location decisions. Whereas these studies mainly focus on labour migrants, research on refugees’ location choices is still scarce, because refugees are usually assigned to specific places of residence by the authorities in many European countries. In the context of forced migration, spatial patterns may therefore largely be related to administrative decisions. In this paper, we aim to answer the question of the settlement patterns of recently arrived refugees from Ukraine in Germany by using current data from the Central Register of Foreigners. These patterns are modelled on the NUTS-3 level and consider the proportion of previous Ukrainian migrants living within those regions as well as additional economic, demographic, and geographical factors. Spatial regression models show that, on the one hand, Ukrainian refugees indeed settle where the number of Ukrainians is already high. The empirical analyses also indicate a correlation between the spatial patterns of refugees in general and Ukrainian refugees, suggesting that dispersal policies may play a role in explaining settlement patterns. Furthermore, affordable housing and lower rents are important explanatory variables.

Seit Kriegsbeginn sind mehr als eine Million Menschen aus der Ukraine nach Deutschland geflohen. Erste repräsentative Erkenntnisse über deren Lebenssituation und Zukunftspläne ermöglicht die Studie „Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine in Deutschland (IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP-Befragung)“, eine gemeinsame Studie des Instituts für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), des Bundesinstituts für Bevölkerungsforschung (BiB), des Forschungszentrums des Bundesamts für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF-FZ) und des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) am Deutschen Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin). Es wurden für diese Studie 11.225 geflüchtete Ukrainerinnen und Ukrainer in der Zeit zwischen August und Oktober 2022 befragt.