A new poll shows that a slight majority of Germans are turning against mass immigration, with 52 percent saying that they believe Germany should “take in fewer refugees,” an increase of 12 points since January 2020.
The results come just a week before a long-awaited migration summit that will involve federal and state governments meeting in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s office to discuss the ongoing crisis.
The poll, conducted for Infratest Dimap on behalf of ARD Tagesthemen and Die Welt, also asked respondents whether they see migrants as bringing more advantages or disadvantages. For 54 percent, they said the disadvantages of immigration outweigh the advantages, while only a third said that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
However, when it comes to skilled immigration, Germans are more supportive. For this type of immigration, 41 percent said they would like to recruit more of these workers, while 28 percent said the number should be kept at the current level. Only 23 percent wanted to recruit fewer of these workers.