Do German youth want a Jewish neighbor? It depends, new study shows
According to other study findings, about 75% of young Germans listed pollution as their number one concern for the future, followed by terror attacks (66%) and climate change (65%).
By ROSSELLA TERCATINGlobal Climate Strike in Germany(photo credit: REUTERS)
Less than one in ten German youngsters (8%) would not want a Jewish family as their neighbors, compared to 20% who would reject a refugee family, 18% who would have problems with a Turkish family, 12% with a numerous family and 9% with an LGBT family, a 2019 Shell Youth Study found. However, the percentage of those who would not like to live by a Jewish family goes dramatically up among teens and young adults who hold populist and nationalistic views: one in three of them would not be happy with it (and two-thirds would have a problem with refugees). According to the survey findings, populist-nationalistic opinions are more common in the eastern part of the country and among those with a lower level of education. Moreover, respondents with origins from Islamic countries are more likely to hold reservations against Jews, as well as same-sex couples – respectively 14% and 18%. The Shell Youth Study, promoted by the oil and gas giant, has been monitoring the mood and interests of Germany's young population every four years since 1953. The data for the 2019 edition was collected interviewing 2,572 young people aged between 12 and 25 between early January and late March.
The question about accepting neighbors from a diverse background was considered a tool to measure the general level of tolerance. According to other study findings, about 75% of young Germans listed pollution as their number one concern for the future, followed by terror attacks (66%) and climate change (65%). Economic hardship was chosen only by one in two respondents. The study also showed some degree of contradiction in German youth's attitude towards migration issues. 57% of the respondents said that they thought it was a good thing that the country accepted so many refugees and 52% of the participants indicated they fear growing xenophobia, compared to 33% who expressed concerns over further immigration. However, about half of the participants said that they would be in favor of accepting fewer immigrants than before (in the previous study carried on in 2015, only slightly over a third said so). Moreover, 68% of them agreed with the statement, "In Germany, you can't say anything bad about foreigners without immediately being called a racist."
