Month / November 2022
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Good language skills also depend on the personality
Refugees often don’t have an easy start to their new lives – partly because they lack language skills. How well and quickly they can acquire the language of their new home also depends on their personality. This is shown by data from the study “Living in Germany,” which Yuliya Kosyakova from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) and Marie-Christine Laible from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) analyzed.
According to the study, personality traits such as openness to new experiences, conscientiousness, readiness to take risks, locus of control, and also resilience contribute to people achieving good language skills. If, on the other hand, someone is particularly agreeable or neurotic, this has little influence. Personality traits are particularly relevant when it comes to verbal communication skills, the researchers write. This is less the case when it comes to writing and reading skills.Further information
Kosyakova, Yuliya, and Marie-Christine Laible. 2022. Importance of Personality Traits for Destination-Language Acquisition: Evidence for Refugees in Germany. International Migration Review, 0 (0). (https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183221132538)
Photo Anna Vander Stel, Unsplash … -
New insights on poverty in Germany
Poverty in Germany has risen significantly over the last decade. A study has examined the connection between poverty and social participation in Germany using data from “Living in Germany.” According to the study, poor people not only have less income and assets, but also acquire fewer educational skills and work under poorer working conditions. They live in smaller housing and have poorer health.
The various impairments mean that poor people can only participate in society to a limited extent. Persistently poorer people also state that they are significantly less satisfied with their lives than the average population.
The authors of the report, Dr. Dorothee Spannagel and Dr. Aline Zucco, point out that the report relies on data up to and including 2019. Since then, rising energy prices and high inflation are likely to have exacerbated the situation for poorer people.
Further information
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Donating money despite low income
Many people in Germany donate money to social, religious, cultural, and charitable causes.
Who donates how much, and how does donation behavior change over time? Prof. Jürgen Schupp from the Socio-economic Panel (SOEP) investigated these questions. Differences emerged between East and West, men and women and, not least of all, between people with low and high incomes: High-income households account for 37 percent of total donations in Germany, but low-income households donate more relative to their available annual income.
The results of this year’s survey will show how donation behavior in Germany is changing in a phase of high inflation and rising prices.
Further information
DIE WELT: Ärmere sind oft großzügiger als Reiche (Video)
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