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This study describes the first wave of the IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP Survey on Ukrainian Refugees in Germany, a unique panel dataset based on over 11,000 interviews conducted between August and October 2022. The aim of the IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP Survey is to provide a data-infrastructure for theory-driven and evidence-based research on various aspects of integration among Ukrainian refugees in Germany, the second most important destination country in the EU after Poland, hosting over a million people who arrived in Germany shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Based on the survey, this study also provides first insights into demographic, educational, linguistic, occupational, and social characteristics of this population. The analyses revealed that the refugee population comprised mostly young and educated individuals, with a significant proportion of females without partners and female-headed separated families. While German language skills were limited, about half of Ukrainian refugees had attended or were attending language courses. However, the integration process faced significant challenges, as the participation of children in day-care was relatively low, and the self-reported life satisfaction was markedly below the average of the German population. The study highlights the need for targeted policy measures to address such issues. Additionally, policies may aim at harnessing the high potential of the Ukrainian refugees for the German labor market. Given that a substantial proportion would like to stay in Germany permanently, policymakers should take note of these findings and aim to facilitate their long-term integration process to ensure that these refugees may thrive in Germany.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many people have fled the war and left their home country. By the end of January 2023, more than one million Ukrainian refugees had been registered in Germany alone. In contrast to refugees from other countries of origin in Germany, Ukrainian citizens can choose their place of residence if they have either found private accommodation with family members or friends or do not claim state support. However, little information exists on where within Germany Ukrainian refugees have moved and why certain regions are potentially more attractive than others. There exists a substantial literature on the location choices of migrants in general, showing that the existing level of immigrant concentration is an important determinant, while economic factors have a smaller effect – if not in the initial location choice after immigration, then at least in later location decisions. Whereas these studies mainly focus on labour migrants, research on refugees’ location choices is still scarce, because refugees are usually assigned to specific places of residence by the authorities in many European countries. In the context of forced migration, spatial patterns may therefore largely be related to administrative decisions. In this paper, we aim to answer the question of the settlement patterns of recently arrived refugees from Ukraine in Germany by using current data from the Central Register of Foreigners. These patterns are modelled on the NUTS-3 level and consider the proportion of previous Ukrainian migrants living within those regions as well as additional economic, demographic, and geographical factors. Spatial regression models show that, on the one hand, Ukrainian refugees indeed settle where the number of Ukrainians is already high. The empirical analyses also indicate a correlation between the spatial patterns of refugees in general and Ukrainian refugees, suggesting that dispersal policies may play a role in explaining settlement patterns. Furthermore, affordable housing and lower rents are important explanatory variables.

This study examines migration and reunification processes among recent male and female refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria in Germany. Specifically, we analyse different types of spousal migration practices (joint arrival versus arriving alone) and the probability of reunification with the left-behind partner after one year of geographic separation, and to what extent this is shaped by socio-economic conditions, children, family networks, and the legal situation of married men and women. Using data from the first and second wave of the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees, collected in 2016 and 2017 in Germany, and applying logistic regression models, we disentangle the heterogeneity of refugees’ migration processes. The results show that couples with minor children are more likely to migrate together compared to childless couples or those with adult children only, and that men and women’s solo migration is associated with the presence of other family members at the destination country. The probability of reunifying with the left-behind partner after one year of separation mainly depends, again, on family networks, with differential effects for men and women. Furthermore, male first-movers’ legal status in Germany is important for a quick reunification with their wives. Our research shows that forced migration in the here studied geographic context is a gendered process and that several characteristics of male migration do not apply to women. Furthermore, conventional explanations for economically motivated migration decisions and patterns must be adapted to the case of forced migration. Zusammenfassung Die vorliegende Studie untersucht Migrations- und Familiennachzugsprozesse verheirateter Männer und Frauen aus Afghanistan, Irak und Syrien in Deutschland. Konkret analysieren wir verschiedene Formen paarspezifischer Migrationspraktiken (gemeinsame versus getrennte Ankunft) und die Wahrscheinlichkeit des Familiennachzugs der im Ausland verbliebenen Partner*in innerhalb eines Jahres und inwieweit diese auf sozioökonomische Bedingungen, die Existenz und Anzahl von Kindern, Familiennetzwerke sowie die rechtliche Situation von verheirateten Männern und Frauen zurückzuführen sind. Auf Basis der Daten der ersten und zweiten Welle der Geflüchtetenstichprobe des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (IABBAMF-SOEP), die 2016 und 2017 in Deutschland erhoben wurden, untersuchen wir die Heterogenität der Migrationsprozesse von Geflüchteten. Die Ergebnisse der logistischen Regressionsmodelle zeigen, dass die Chance einer gemeinsamen Migration für Paare mit minderjährigen Kindern – im Vergleich zu kinderlosen Paaren und Paaren mit nur erwachsenen Kindern – steigt, und dass die Alleinmigration von Frauen und Männern mit der Anwesenheit des erweiterten Familiennetzwerkes am Zielort verbunden ist. Die Wiedervereinigung mit dem/r im Ausland verbliebenen Partner*in hängt ebenfalls von familiären Netzwerken am Zielort ab, allerdings mit unterschiedlichen Effekten für Männer und Frauen. Außerdem ist für einen schnellen Familiennachzug von im Ausland verbliebenen Frauen der rechtliche Status von ihren zuerst migrierten Männern wichtig. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Fluchtmigration in dem hier untersuchten geografischen Kontext ein geschlechtsspezifischer Prozess ist und bestimmte Faktoren unterschiedlich auf die Migration von Frauen bzw. Männern wirken. Darüber hinaus zeigt sich, dass Zusammenhänge und Erklärungen ökonomisch motivierter Migrationsentscheidungen und -praktiken sich nicht ohne weiteres auf Fluchtmigration übertragen lassen, sondern angepasst werden sollten.

Background: In order to explain demographic phenomena, the Generations and Gender Survey covers a wide variety of demographic topics. Such a survey requires elaborate survey design and implementation. Previous research has shown problems with the complex parts of retrospective fertility data and retrospective partnership data in the German GGS. Until now, no satisfying explanations have been given for these distortions. Objective: In this paper we investigate if the distortions in the German GGS can be explained by questionnaire design factors or by survey implementation, with special regard to rational behaviour of the interviewers and interviewees. Methods: Using the fertility and partnership histories in the first wave of the German GGS of 2005, we checked for fatigue and learning effects, resulting in avoidance strategies concerning follow-up questions for respondents as well as for interviewers. Furthermore, we included extensive interviewer controls. Results: Results suggest that distortions in the German GGS are related to interviewers and interviewees. We found indicators of learning effects of respondents, which lead to a shortening of interviews and to more biased survey responses to screening questions in later sections of the survey. We also found strong hints that interviewers learned how to shorten interviews. Conclusions: The analysis provides insights into the distortions of the retrospective parts of the German GGS and their causes. On the one hand, researchers may use this information to decide how to deal with the German GGS and especially the information on cohorts 1955 and older. On the other hand, our findings lead to several suggestions concerning the survey design and implementation of future large-scale demographic surveys.