# What's the SD on 'more than half of Germans want to emigrate'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 24, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432 "2018-10-24T14:47:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432/41 "2018-10-25T06:46:51Z")
It would help to look in more detail at the other items on the website cited in the OP - about ‘Brilliant Ann Coulter’, ‘The Bulgarian Trump’, and so on. Not to mention that a website proclaiming “uncensored news” is curiously lacking in transparency about who they are, where they’re based, and what their sources are. But a bit of googling turns this up: > **[Voice of Europe](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/voice-of-europe/)** > > QUESTIONABLE SOURCE A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no > **[Is "Voice of Europe" a fake news site run by Russian trolls based in...](https://www.quora.com/Is-Voice-of-Europe-a-fake-news-site-run-by-Russian-trolls-based-in-pro-Russia-countries)** > > Answer (1 of 6): At least it has nothing to do with one of the established media houses. > > As far as I can see, it is right-winged and anti-EU. anti-foreigner and all the usual mixture of news out of context and a good deal of blank lies (aka... Never, ever, just take for granted what you read on the internet, any more than you would a newspaper that doesn’t give you information about itself. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432/42 "2018-10-25T09:23:17Z")
PS. If you go back to [the report in “Die Welt”](https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article181832452/Umfrage-Mehr-als-die-Haelfte-der-Deutschen-wuerde-gern-auswandern.html) (a more or less reputable conservative newspaper they link to), that reports that it comes from a YouGov survey (also a reputable source). However, Die Welt breaks the results down more than a little differently (my translation): > [@](#): > > 55 percent of those questioned in a representative survey would like to live abroad, a third of them for ever. This desire is tied to three hopes. > > They hope for less stress, a high quality of life or finer weather: more than half of Germans, according to a survey, would like to live abroad, for a while or even for ever. 55 per cent of those asked in a representative YouGov survey expressed such an opinion. > > A good third of this group would even live permanently abroad. 13 per cent could imagine living for two to five years outside Germany. Nine per cent would stay away for at most a year. Above all older people - over 55 years - could see themselves living permanently abroad. 18-24-year-olds are more likely to be drawn to foreign parts for only a few years. > > Those who can see themselves emigrating said above all that they hoped for a quieter and less stressful life (38 per cent). Other reasons are the hope of a higher quality of life (33 per cent) and finer weather (31 per cent). > > **More stable political situation or higher income** > > Many have changed their view of emigration recently: 29 per cent said that they were less ready for the idea two years ago. They quoted as reasons the desire to live in a country with a more stable political situation. Others hope for a higher income. > > The presentative YouGov survey was commissioned by the financial services company Transferwise. Adults were surveyed between 19 and 21 September 2109 [sic]. The questions put were: Would you like to live abroad (outside Germany) at some time? Compared with two years ago, is it more or less likely that you would live abroad, or is there no difference? Which of the following are reasons why you might want to move abroad (multiple answers possible)? For the 1256 who had previously said they could see themselves emigrating: Approximately how long would you like to live abroad? Don’t forget that last year’s general election gave the parties an almost impossible job in forming a government that would be able to do any more than keep the business of government ticking over, with almost constant talk about how long it can last, and who comes after Merkel. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432/43 "2018-10-25T13:53:48Z")
Thanks everyone for putting in the time on this one. I appreciate it. About the link…understand, I found that, when I was doing a search on what was being asserted (i.e. that ‘more than half of Germans want to emigrate’), it didn’t come from anyone. It was one of the first hits on Google, so I used it. I didn’t know anything about that site, but I assumed if they were making the claim it was probably coming from similar sites. I appreciate someone going in and translating the linked survey…I don’t speak German so had no idea what that part was saying. Anyway, you all have given me plenty of ammunition. I have to admit, I was hoping it would be crazy right wing racists, but it is what it is and I’m better informed for the next time this subject comes up in discussion. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432/44 "2018-10-25T14:49:09Z")
I meant to add to my post above that, as others have noted, that it could be no more than older people who, when asked, say they fancy the idea of retirement in another country that’s peaceful and warm, and younger people fancying the idea of trying out work experience in another country for a while - something that EU membership already makes possible and substantial numbers take advantage of, more or less as people in the US can and do move interstate. It’s overloading the interpretation to draw any perception of deep political discontent or a burning desire to turn to the extreme right, nor is the extreme right likely to be keen on, or to expect support from, people who find the nose-to-the-grindstone working culture increasingly wearisome, especially when combined, as it now is, with a greater measure of job insecurity as a result of labour market reforms. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432/45 "2018-10-25T17:50:23Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I think this is (part of) the survey: > > [http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus\_uploads/document/fimyf5l1cf/Germany\_W.pdf](http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/fimyf5l1cf/Germany_W.pdf) That poll is from October 2016. I can’t find a single poll of _Germans_ on the YouGov site from October 2018, except one about cars. In fact, that appears to be the only poll of Germans YouGov has ever done. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432/46 "2018-10-25T18:33:49Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > PS. If you go back to [the report in “Die Welt”](https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article181832452/Umfrage-Mehr-als-die-Haelfte-der-Deutschen-wuerde-gern-auswandern.html) (a more or less reputable conservative newspaper they link to), that reports that it comes from a YouGov survey (also a reputable source). However, Die Welt breaks the results down more than a little differently (my translation): > > “…The presentative YouGov survey was commissioned by the financial services company Transferwise. Adults were surveyed between 19 and 21 September 2109 [sic]. The questions put were: Would you like to live abroad (outside Germany) at some time? Compared with two years ago, is it more or less likely that you would live abroad, or is there no difference? Which of the following are reasons why you might want to move abroad (multiple answers possible)? For the 1256 who had previously said they could see themselves emigrating: Approximately how long would you like to live abroad?” > > … Just a couple of nitpicks to the translation here. The more minor one: the second word above should be ‘representative’ rather than ‘presentative’ [As I said they repeat “representative” all the time so it must be so] The (only somewhat) more significant one: the “2109” does indeed look like a screwed-up year, but it’s not…as mentioned in my post #34, the number 2109 refers to the number of respondents: In Deutschland wurden zwischen dem 19. und 21. September 2109 erwachsene Menschen befragt = In Deutschland wurden /// zwischen dem 19. und 21. September /// 2109 erwachsene Menschen befragt = In Germany, between the 19th and 21st of September, 2109 adults were asked… I see why it looked like a typo to you, with the close connection of “September” and “2109,” but that’s a red herring. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432/47 "2018-10-25T18:49:34Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Just a couple of nitpicks to the translation here. The more minor one: the second word above should be ‘representative’ rather than ‘presentative’ [As I said they repeat “representative” all the time so it must be so] > > The (only somewhat) more significant one: the “2109” does indeed look like a screwed-up year, but it’s not…as mentioned in my post #34, the number 2109 refers to the number of respondents: > > In Deutschland wurden zwischen dem 19. und 21. September 2109 erwachsene Menschen befragt = > In Deutschland wurden /// zwischen dem 19. und 21. September /// 2109 erwachsene Menschen befragt = > In Germany, between the 19th and 21st of September, 2109 adults were asked… > > I see why it looked like a typo to you, with the close connection of “September” and “2109,” but that’s a red herring. Points taken. I missed my own typo on the “representative”. And you’re quite right about my misunderstanding the 2109! ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432/48 "2018-10-25T19:38:13Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That poll is from October 2016. I can’t find a single poll of _Germans_ on the YouGov site from October 2018, except one about cars. In fact, that appears to be the only poll of Germans YouGov has ever done. There is a German YouGov. > **[YouGov Deutschland](https://yougov.de/)** > > YouGov ist eine globale Data & Analytics Group. Erfahren Sie, was die Welt denkt, entdecken Sie unsere Lösungen und werden Sie Mitglied unserer Community, um Ihre Meinung mit anderen zu teilen. They actually have a link to the Die Welt article on their website, but I suspect that it’s auto-generated. I am going to email them, since I suspect that they would care that someone has misrepresented their data. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432/49 "2018-10-26T10:23:36Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > I meant to add to my post above that, as others have noted, that it could be no more than older people who, when asked, say they fancy the idea of retirement in another country that’s peaceful and warm, and younger people fancying the idea of trying out work experience in another country for a while - something that EU membership already makes possible and substantial numbers take advantage of, more or less as people in the US can and do move interstate. Also the [Erasmus](http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/) program: millions of European college students spend half of a schoolyear in another university through that program every year. It might be the best idea anybody in Europe has had since lowercase letters; it’s probably the EU’s best ambassador, and definitely a great tool to increase inter-EU mobility both on the short and long terms. If I asked any EU college student “do you want to go Erasmus?” and they answered “oh hell no” I’d check them for high fever. The current version (Erasmus+) includes opportunities for stays in other countries as well. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432/50 "2018-10-26T13:42:23Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Also the [Erasmus](http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/) program: millions of European college students spend half of a schoolyear in another university through that program every year. It might be the best idea anybody in Europe has had since lowercase letters; it’s probably the EU’s best ambassador, and definitely a great tool to increase inter-EU mobility both on the short and long terms. If I asked any EU college student “do you want to go Erasmus?” and they answered “oh hell no” I’d check them for high fever. The current version (Erasmus+) includes opportunities for stays in other countries as well. Agreed, Nava. In my previous life I did admin support for Erasmus programmes in a university, and though I had my quibbles about the way it was done and accounted for, in principle it was exactly what the whole thing was all about. A pity it couldn’t start with primary schools and extend to souped-up town twinning programmes (I seem to remember reading somewhere that Jean Monnet said once that if he had his time over again he would have started with education rather than iron and steel and agriculture). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sd-on-more-than-half-of-germans-want-to-emigrate/823432.md?page=2)