God Can Wait – New migrants in Germany between early adaptation and religious re-organisation

Claudi Diehl () and Matthias Koenig ()
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Claudi Diehl: University of Göttingen
Matthias Koenig: University of Göttingen

No 2013004, Norface Discussion Paper Series from Norface Research Programme on Migration, Department of Economics, University College London

Abstract: In this paper, we analyse migration-related changes in religiosity among new Polish and Turkish migrants in Germany by using novel data from an international survey project on Socio-Cultural Integration Processes of New Immigrants in Europe (SCIP). The study confirms, first of all, that both groups of newcomers experience a decrease in religious practices after the migratory event. This decrease is more pronounced among Muslim Turks than among Catholic Poles and more pertinent for worship attendance than for prayer. Secondly, we show that among new Polish immigrants, religious decrease is more pronounced among individuals with stronger social ties to the secular German mainstream; moreover, there are no signs that religious practices are being re-captured after the rather disruptive first couple of months. For Turks, however, our study shows that initial religious decrease is followed by a process of religious re-organisation that is independent from assimilation in other social spheres. We discuss the role of “bright” symbolic boundaries against Islam in Germany that may play a role in explaining these group specific patterns and conclude that publicly visible religious diversity may well remain a permanent feature of modern immigrant societies.

Date: 2013-01
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