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New National Survey Finds One in Eight Adults in Germany Experienced Discrimination

The federal anti-discrimination commissioner urges swift AGG reform to strengthen remedies for those affected.

Overview

  • A special analysis of the SOEP released today reports that 13.1% of respondents—about nine million adults—experienced discrimination within 12 months.
  • People with migration backgrounds, persons with disabilities, and women are disproportionately affected, with more than 38% of headscarf-wearing Muslim women reporting discrimination.
  • Incidents were most often linked to access to goods and services (40.7%) and the workplace (39.2%), with additional reports from public spaces and interactions with authorities.
  • Ethnic or racist motives were most frequently cited as the perceived cause (41.9%), followed by appearance, gender or gender identity, and religion.
  • Most affected individuals took no formal action (56%), with 8.1% filing official complaints and 2.6% initiating legal steps; the data reflect experiences from May 2021 to January 2023 during the pandemic.