Survey: Ukrainian refugees are not very satisfied with life in Germany
29 October 2025 14:12
Satisfaction with life in Germany among Ukrainians fleeing the war is relatively low, and it is lower than among those from other Eastern European countries. This is evidenced by the results of a sociological study by the Federal Institute for Demographic Research (BiB), published on Wednesday, October 29, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports with reference to DW.
It is noted that Ukrainian refugees are currently the largest group of the German population with the status of “asylum seekers.” At the same time, the level of life satisfaction is 6.3 on a scale of 0 to 10 points. For comparison, other immigrants from Eastern Europe have an average of 7.2.
“However, this group has been living in Germany longer on average (than Ukrainians who fled the war – Ed.) and thus has no experience with war and refugee issues,” the document says.
The level from 0 to 6 is assessed in the study as “less satisfied”, from 7 to 8 – “satisfied”, and from 9 to 10 – “very satisfied”.
Satisfaction with life in Germany among Ukrainian refugees has increased
Meanwhile, the level of satisfaction with life in Germany among Ukrainians increased slightly from 2022 to 2023. While in 2022, shortly after their arrival in Germany, it was 5.9 points, in the summer of 2023 this figure reached an average of 6.3.
“The increase in life satisfaction can be attributed to various factors, such as mastering German, which allows for greater participation in public life, moving from a dormitory to private housing, or starting a job,” the authors believe.
More than half of refugees from Ukraine to Germany are “less satisfied” with their lives
As a percentage of the Ukrainians surveyed, the share of “less satisfied” with life in Germany, as of 2023, is 51.4%, the share of “satisfied” is 38.3%, and “very satisfied” is 10.2%. In the age group under 50, these figures are distributed as follows: 48.4% – “less satisfied”, 40.8% – “satisfied” and 10.9% – “very satisfied”. In the category over 50 years old: 60.0% – “less satisfied”, 31.6% – “satisfied” and 8.5% – “very satisfied”.
Refugee women from Ukraine are less satisfied with life in Germany than men
At the same time, the study shows that among Ukrainian women, the level of life satisfaction in Germany is 0.3% lower than among men. The share of Ukrainian men who are “very satisfied” with life in Germany is 13%. This figure is significantly lower than among the population without migration roots, the authors note.
According to their data, the level of satisfaction with life in Germany is especially low among Ukrainians who came here without a partner or do not have a partner. At the same time, those who live with young children are more satisfied with life in Germany than those without children. Ukrainians who fled from the war, speak German well, and those who do not live in dormitories here also show a high level of life satisfaction, the study says.
