Study finds Germans increasingly hostile to asylum-seekers

Migrants disembark after being transferred to Maltese army boats at sea and brought to Valletta harbor, Malta, Saturday, April 13, 2019. Malta has announced a deal that see four European Union nations taking in the 64 migrants rescued at sea off Libya 10 days ago. Malta announced Saturday that the migrants will be distributed among Germany, France, Portugal and Luxembourg. (AP Photo/Jonathan Borg)

BERLIN – A study has found that Germans are increasingly hostile toward asylum-seekers, whereas prejudices toward other minorities such as homeless or gay people have declined.

The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which commissioned the survey, said Thursday that 54.1% of respondents expressed negative opinions about asylum-seekers, up from 49.5% in 2016 and 44% in 2014.

Germany saw a significant increase in migrant arrivals in 2016, with almost 746,000 people seeking asylum that year. Numbers have since declined again, with about 186,000 asylum requests last year.

The representative telephone survey, which is conducted every two years, involved 1,890 respondents and took place between September and February.

The study also examined for the first time how receptive Germans are to conspiracy theories. It found about that 46% of respondents believed secret organizations influence political decision-making.