Following the first study on the Greek Diaspora in the United Kingdom jointly with SEESOX at the University of Oxford (2021), the new publication of diaNEOsis focuses on Greek Diaspora in Germany. The research includes the first quantitative field research on Greeks in Germany in recent years, as well as an analytical report with its results.

It was drawn up and signed by Manolis Pratsinakis, of Harokopio and Oxford, Iouli A. Panagiotopoulou of the University of Cologne, Marilena Anastasopoulou of University College Dublin and Oxford, and Othona Anastasakis, also of Oxford. The authors examine key characteristics of Greeks from different immigration waves, most recently that of the economic crisis of the 2010s, living in Germany.

A brief presentation of the main findings of the study follows.

Greek women and men in Germany

  • 500,000 people: The population of the Greek Diaspora in Germany in 2019. Of these, 3 out of 5 are first-generation immigrants and the rest second- or third-generation.
  • 3 out of 4 stay in three federal states: North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria
  • 62% of Greeks in Germany work
  • 11% are retired
  • 11% are students
  • Only 2% declare themselves unemployed
  • 30 Greek schools operate in the country, while Greek language classes operate in various regions.

The investigation

The authors designed an extensive questionnaire of dozens of questions on many topics.

They used networks (Respondent-Driven Sampling) and placed advertisements on social media (Online Convenience Sampling) to complete a sample of 855 people.

They weighted the data appropriately (post-stratification) so that they reflect the demographic characteristics of the entire Greek Diaspora in Germany. The final analysis can be generalized to the population (up to 70 years) of the Greek Diaspora in Germany.

Why did they leave?

  • 7 out of 10 first generation immigrants stated that they left Greece out of necessity or out of a combination of necessity and choice.
  • 1 in 5 characterized migration purely as a personal choice.
  • 1 in 3 say they chose Germany because they had friends or relatives there.
  • 30% of female immigrants state that they chose Germany because they thought they would find a job there (compared to 19% of men).
  • 18% of male immigrants say they chose Germany as a study destination (compared to 8% of women).

Life in Germany

Feelings about the country

  • 44% report “gratitude” in response to the question “What do you feel when you think of Germany?”, while 3 in 10 report “interest” and 1 in 4 “hope”.
  • 1 in 3 associate Germany with feelings of loneliness. These are stronger among younger people, those with low incomes and those who do not speak German well.

Discrimination

  • 7 out of 10 state that they have received derogatory comments or unfair treatment because of their Greek origin at least once.
  • 1 in 6 say this has happened “a lot of times”.
  • 7 out of 10 first-generation immigrants say they have experienced unfairness at work because of their background. Younger generations (second/third) face fewer problems (45%).

Networks

  • 34% find or found a job through friends or relatives of Greek origin.
  • 7 out of 10 say they received help and guidance from relatives or friends when they arrived in the country, either for work or housing.
  • The younger generations (second/third) state that they participate more often in Greek clubs: 12% state that they have been to relevant meetings many times (against 6% in total).

Language

  • With m, o. 7.9 out of 10 in speaking, and with 7.4 in writing Greeks in Germany rate their German (over 9.6 in speaking and writing for the second and third generation).
  • With AD German Greeks rate their Greek 9.1 in speaking and 8.4 in writing (7.8 and 6.7 for the second and third generation).

Relations with Greece

  • With AD 7 out of 10 most rate their closeness to Greek culture, compared to 6.3 their closeness to German.
  • 7 out of 10 say they communicate at least once a week with relatives or friends in Greece.
  • 6 out of 10 state that they read or watch daily news from Greece.
  • 84% state that they visited Greece at least once in the last year, while 1 in 5 traveled 3-5 times.
  • 1 in 2 answers that they would not like to work professionally with businesses or organizations in Greece.

66% of Greeks in Germany believe that the Greek governments have not developed enough actions for Greeks living abroad. What could they do?

  • To facilitate the cooperation of Greeks abroad with Greece (43%).
  • To implement structural changes in Greece which will enable Greeks living abroad to return (39%).
  • To further facilitate Greeks abroad to vote from their place of residence (31%).
  • 22% of the respondents (who meet the relevant conditions) stated that they voted in the last Greek elections.
  • 1 in 2 states an intention to vote in the next election.

Would they come back?

  • Only 1 in 10 plans to return to Greece in the next three years.
  • 7 out of 10 of the rest say they would like to return to Greece at some point in the more distant future.
  • Of those who declare any intention to return:
  • 53% are thinking of Greece as a place for their retirement.
  • 42% would return if they found work that would satisfy them financially.
  • 1 in 3 would return “for nostalgia reasons”
  • 26% would return if they found a job corresponding to their qualifications.