Promoting Integration Through Football

The immigration of large numbers of refugees in 2015 has presented Germany with the challenge of integrating newly arriving foreigners. A recent ZEW study examined the integration of a group of refugees participating in the HEIMSTÄRKE football project, which aims to promote integration into German society and the German labour market through sport. The study suggests that participation in the project has positive effects. It also considered the migrants' socio-economic characteristics, the financial costs of their escape, and aspects of their integration into the labour market. The ZEW study was carried out as part of the 'Real-World Lab Asylum' project in the Rhine-Neckar region.

HEIMSTÄRKE gives participants the opportunity to play football once a week and to take language courses, while also assisting them in their search for work. It is run by the "Anpfiff ins Leben" (Kick-off into Life) association in cooperation with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, SV Sandhausen, and FC Astoria Walldorf, and sponsored by SAP Walldorf.

The participants gave a very positive appraisal of their participation in the project: almost 60 per cent stated they would prefer to take part more than once a week. The study showed that 35 per cent of the participants had been invited into German homes as guests, as compared to 27 or 22 per cent of the migrants in non-participating groups. As PD Dr. Friedhelm Pfeiffer, deputy head of ZEW’s Research Department "Labour Markets, Human Resources and Social Policy" and co-author of the study remarked, "HEIMSTÄRKE has positive effects for those who participate in the project."

ZEW responsible for the scientific part of the project

The participants were chosen from a group of young male refugees in selected locations in the Rhein-Neckar region (Sandhausen, Sinsheim, Wiesloch, and Walldorf). A number of individuals were randomly chosen to participate in the HEIMSTÄRKE project and were interviewed once. The individuals not chosen for participation were also interviewed in order to enable a comparison of the two groups. The study only considers a group of young male refugees in this region and does not claim to be representative of refugees in general.

On average, the 81 male interviewees were 23 years old and had had 8.8 years of formal education. According to their own statements, they had already gained over five years’ work experience in their home countries or on their way to Germany. At the time of the survey, 14 per cent of the group had undertaken paid work in Germany. Thirty-two per cent of the refugees interviewed were born in Afghanistan, 17 per cent were from The Gambia, ten per cent from Syria and nine per cent from Iran. The remaining refugees were from a number of Asian and African countries. On average, they had lived in Germany for nine months.

Refugees are optimistic about their prospects on the labour market

Seventy-two per cent of the interviewees had had a job before coming to Germany, and had an average of 4.3 to six years’ work experience. Their 8.8 years of formal education was above average for their home regions or countries, but significantly lower than the average for Germany.

Thirty-six per cent of the interviewees were looking for work. They were optimistic about their prospects on the labour market: 91 per cent believed they would find paid work within the next two years.

ZEW’s Friedhelm Pfeiffer noted that "the refugees interviewed appeared to have a relatively large amount of work experience and optimism, though their average level of education has to be considered rather low in comparison with young Europeans in the same age group."

The financial costs of the refugees’ journeys can be an important factor in their economic integration. The ZEW study showed that 77 per cent of the refugees crossed the Mediterranean on their way to Germany and paid on average 2,210 euros for this crossing. The average total cost of their respective journeys was significantly higher, at 4,900 euros. This may be due to their different countries of origin and respective routes to Germany. About 81 per cent of the refugees took on loans to finance the cost of their journeys.

For further questions please contact:

PD Dr. Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Phone +49(0)621/1235-150, E-mail pfeiffer@zew.de