Study on the integration of immigrants and Germans in Frankfurt am Main with special focus on three selected city districts

The study was commissioned by the Office for Multicultural Affairs of the City of Frankfurt, a city with a large number of immigrants. In 2001 the share of foreign nationals amounted to 28.6%, not including ethnic German migrants (Spätaussiedler) and naturalised migrants. Between 1990 and 1998 18,900 persons were naturalized.

The study was carried out by the efms. Prof. Dr. Friedrich Heckmann was head of the project, Gaby Straßburger was the responsible researcher.

The objectives of the project were:

• the description of integration processes and early recognition of disintegration processes (early warning system);
• continuable evaluation of the status of integration;
• the provision of a rational factual basis for political decisions and estimation of future developments.

The integration process takes place in various areas and the analysis therefore covered four dimensions of the integration process: structural integration (participation), cultural integration (competences, values), social integration (relationships, networks), identificational integration (self-perception).

The study, in principle, was designed to represent the entire city of Frankfurt. There was a special focus on three city districts, however. The following groups were included in the study:

1. non-German citizens (no asylum-seekers, refugees, contract workers);
2. ethnic Germans (Spätaussiedler) and their family members who accompanied or joined them;
3. all persons with a migration background who had recently been naturalised;
4. local Germans.

1. Secondary analysis

The main objective of the secondary analyses was to observe any changes regarding immigration and integration. In this part of the study available official and non-official data were processed and analysed in as much detail as possible.

2. Expert interviews

To sound out the research field, but also to obtain qualified opinions on the status of the integration of migrants and whether immigrants use the social infrastructure, experts were interviewed

3. Standardised empirical study

In order to be able to research the various dimensions of integration and selected groups of persons, a postal standardised empirical study was carried out. 1,000 immigrants and Germans were interviewed on the basis of a random selection from the population register of the City of Frankfurt. The empirical study was carried out in three selected city districts.

4. Interviews with residents of the city districts

With regard to special problems that emerged from the previous three phases of the study complementary interviews were carried out in order to make in-depth analyses possible.

Funding: Stadt Frankfurt a. M.
Completed: 30 April 2001
Researcher: Gaby Straßburger

Publications: Straßburger, Gaby: Evaluation von Integrationsprozessen in Frankfurt am Main. AMKA Frankfurt 2001, 20 pages (short version, in German). Straßburger, Gaby: Evaluation von Integrationsprozessen in Frankfurt am Main. AMKA Frankfurt 2001, 290 pages (full version, in German).