Germany split on migration rules but united on pension reform, new survey reveals
Cologne. Two-thirds of Germans believe migrants should only receive social benefits after having worked in the Federal Republic for an extended period. According to a survey by Infratest dimap conducted on behalf of WDR, 66 percent agree with this statement, while 26 percent reject it.
A majority of Germans support stricter requirements for social benefits. Graphic: JF
Support is highest among AfD supporters, with 91 percent in favor and just six percent opposed. Among backers of the CDU/CSU, 79 percent agree and 17 percent disagree, while 63 percent of SPD supporters are in favor and 32 percent against. The statement faces the most resistance from Left Party voters, with 55 percent opposing it and 34 percent in support, followed by Green Party supporters, 64 percent of whom reject it while 28 percent agree.
All Federal States Favor Stricter Policies Toward Migrants
Approval is particularly high in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, each at 76 percent. In Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Rhineland-Palatinate, 72 percent support the proposal, followed by 69 percent in Saarland, 68 percent in Berlin and Brandenburg, 66 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, and 61 percent in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Around three-quarters of respondents earning between €2,500 and €4,500 per month agree with the statement. Among those earning less than €2,500, support stands at 67 percent, while 60 percent of those making over €4,500 favor stricter conditions for migrants.
Civil Servants Should Also Pay Into the Statutory Pension System
To reform pensions, 86 percent believe civil servants, the self-employed, and politicians should be included in the statutory pension insurance system. Meanwhile, 69 percent oppose the idea of reducing pension contributions and benefits to a minimum in order to shift greater responsibility onto individuals.
The survey also found that 81 percent of Germans feel wealth in the country is unfairly distributed. For 42 percent, it is particularly important that higher performance should lead to higher earnings. Another 32 percent believe income and wealth disparities should not grow too large, while 23 percent think society should prioritize caring for the most vulnerable.
Forty-seven percent would accept personal sacrifices to secure the future of the social system, with an equal number opposing this view. Meanwhile, 63 percent reject the notion that people must work more to preserve Germany's prosperity.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
