Forced migration and the destination states: Causes and motives of the selection of a refuge state , Date: 2013.12.10, format: project (finished), area: Authority

The number of persons seeking protection from persecution has increased continually in Germany in recent years. The causes of such forced migration, and hence the reasons for seeking protection in a safe host state, have been comprehensively investigated. Less is however known as to the motives which are decisive for migrants when it comes to the selection of a specific state of refuge.

Against this background, the research project focused on the pull factors of migration, and investigated the significance of the destination country for the migration decision-making process. The study aimed to identify causes and motives which influence the selection of a state of refuge.

To this end, the state of the research was initially evaluated with regard to connections that are already known to exist. On this basis, an analysis was then carried out of various factors influencing decision-making when it comes to the destination, and these were discussed with regard to their impact.

Various methods of qualitative social research were combined in order to cover the different aspects in the process of the decision on migration: A secondary analysis of the data on forced migration and asylum migration first of all investigated current developments in the European context. A second, empirically-structured part of the project used expert interviews to provide information on motives influencing the selection of the destination state.

The explorative analysis of destination decisions among those seeking protection provides new information regarding the foundations for decision-making in the context of forced migration. At the same time, the research project dealt with a core topic of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in looking at refugees’ search for protection.