Earlier this week, the 2025 Happiness Atlas found that people in Germany are once again more satisfied with their lives than in previous years. The mood has been noticeably brighter since the coronavirus pandemic began. One in two people now describe themselves as very satisfied. Satisfaction has increased more markedly in East Germany than in the Western states. People are happiest in Hamburg.
The “BIB.Monitor Well-Being” survey conducted by the Federal Institute for Population Research came to a similar conclusion. The agency surveyed 30,000 individuals aged 20 to 52 living in Germany, and also included the results of other studies, particularly on the integration of individual immigrant groups. More than a quarter of Germany’s 83 million people are children of immigrants or have immigrated within the last 50 years.
“In fact, we have reached a certain stabilization in terms of life satisfaction and are now almost back to pre-coronavirus levels,” Catharina Spiess, head of Bib.monitor, told DW. However, when researchers looked at immigrant groups, differences appeared. “We’re seeing the so-called ‘integration paradox,’ in which the descendants of immigrants are less satisfied than their immigrant parents,” says Spies.
The term “integration paradox” was coined by sociologist and integration researcher Alaeddin Al-Mafalani. He put forward the thesis that successful integration also increases the likelihood of conflict. When descendants of immigrants want to not only participate in society but also help shape it, this often leads to conflict with those who resist change, resulting in frustration among those who want to integrate.
Overall, the researchers found that new immigrants from Eastern Europe had the highest levels of satisfaction, followed by people with no immigrant background and first-generation immigrants born to immigrant parents.
Spies said, “The finding that descendants of immigrants are not as satisfied as others may also be related to the fact that their expectations have not been met and that their integration is not working as well as they and society had hoped.”
Eastern Europeans are most satisfied in Germany
Nearly one in four immigrants from Eastern Europe say they are very satisfied with their life in Germany. Germany has a long history of immigration from Eastern Europe, including migrant workers from Poland and other countries, but also individuals from the successor states of the Soviet Union who have German heritage.
More than one in three immigrants from Asia and Africa say they are dissatisfied with their life in Germany. This is higher than any other group. Researchers suspect that experiences of discrimination and racism are the cause.
For immigrants who came to Germany in 2015 and 2016, the picture is mixed: about one in three Syrians is very satisfied with their life here, while about the same number of immigrants from Iraq or Eritrea are dissatisfied with their situation.
According to the researchers, this may be because Syrian refugees had significantly higher protection conditions than other refugees, including the possibility of family reunification.
German language key to integration, satisfaction
Life satisfaction for Ukrainians who arrived in Germany since the start of Russia’s war of aggression in February 2022 increased slightly compared to 2024, but remains very low. Half of them say they are not very satisfied with their situation.
“Among the large group of Ukrainians seeking safety in Germany, we see low life satisfaction, especially among older women,” Spiess said. “This may be related to the fact that their comrades are still in Ukraine and may be actively involved in the war.”
The researchers also highlighted an additional finding: the less immigrants speak German at home, the more dissatisfied they are—language remains the key to successful integration. “It is not only in Germany that immigrants become better integrated into the labor market and have a better command of the language the longer they live in the country,” Spies said. “This is also related to the fact that people’s satisfaction increases with their length of stay.” Spice says.\
The survey also looked at immigrants from Germany. German immigrants, especially those living in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece, are very satisfied with their lives. “It’s definitely climate related, but also related to the low cost of living,” explains Katrina Spies.
“People who want to immigrate are not necessarily dissatisfied in Germany,” Spies said. “These are also people who are satisfied but want to go abroad to have new experiences.”
This article was originally written in German.