The majority of German citizens are against granting Ukrainian refugees universal social assistance Bürgergeld, the results of a poll by the Institute for Public Opinion Research (INSA) commissioned by the Bild magazine have shown.
According to the released data, 66 per cent of Germans polled do not believe that all Ukrainian refugees should receive full social assistance, while 17 per cent supported the idea.
In addition, 62% of respondents said that men of conscription age from Ukraine should return home, 18% were against it, and another 8% said they did not care.
According to the publication, about 700 thousand Ukrainians in Germany annually receive a total of about 6.3 billion euros of social assistance, and only every third of them has a job.
Against this background, political debates continue in Germany on the expediency of payments for newly arrived refugees. In the draft federal budget for 2026, the government plans to save about 1.5 billion euros, partly by changing the approach to payments for Ukrainians: instead of Bürgergeld, smaller benefits for asylum seekers are envisaged.
Experts note that this issue is becoming one of the key issues on Germany’s political agenda: it concerns both social justice and the country’s immigration policy. The debate around the role of Ukrainian refugees in German society reflects deeper sentiments about demographic challenges, integration and support for European solidarity during the war period.
Source: http://relocation.com.ua/germans-oppose-payments-to-ukrainian-refugees-survey-shows/