PH
Just under two thirds of those surveyed by the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart named the refugee crisis as the most worrying news development of the moment.
In second place came the perceived threat of Islamist terrorism, with 44.7% of participants saying that this was a personal concern. Most of the surveyed responses directly referenced the recent attacks in Paris, which took place shortly before the poll was carried out.
The rise of far-right groups, such as the anti-foreigner Pegida movement and the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has also dominated recent news coverage. Nevertheless, the trend is troubling for just 4% of the public, according to the study.
Germany is expected to receive at least 800 000 asylum seekers this year, with many local authorities overwhelmed by the task of registering and caring for them. The influx has been used by group’s such as Pegida and AfD to generate support for their anti-migrant programme.
The survey featured an open-ended question, allowing the over 1 000 participants to respond freely and without restricting them to one answer.
Of those who were anxious about migration, one quarter doubted Germany’s ability to overcome the crisis, whereas one fifth expressed sympathy for the refugees.
