How do people experience state authorities and does their origin play a role in this? The study "Institutions and Racism" (InRa) investigated this question. For three years, from 2021 to 2024, researchers at ten locations examined job centers, immigration authorities, the police, the judiciary, youth welfare offices and healthcare facilities, among others. The research network was led by Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel at Leipzig University. The results are now publicly available.
"For the first time, as an independent research association, we have gained access to state institutions in order to investigate racism comprehensively," says Pickel. The team used surveys, interviews, observations and the analysis of documents.
Discrimination often manifests itself in everyday life
The study concludes that forms of racist discrimination exist in all of the authorities investigated, albeit to varying degrees and not in the same way everywhere. Open insults are rare. Discrimination is more common in everyday life, for example in the way decisions are made or applications are processed. One example is language barriers. People with a poor command of German receive a lot of support from some authorities, but much less from others. If there are no clear rules for assistance, a lot depends on the behavior of individual employees. The researchers also point out a special legal feature. The General Equal Treatment Act does not yet explicitly protect citizens in direct contact with state authorities.
In parallel, almost 13,000 employees from four federal authorities were surveyed. The results show: Overall, the authorities differ only slightly in their attitudes. Compared to the population as a whole, they do not show a consistently higher level of discriminatory attitudes. At the same time, between 18 and 26 percent of employees - depending on the authority - reported having felt discriminated against at work. Employees with a history of migration were affected by this more frequently.
Experiences of those affected
In an online survey of Muslim people, 80 percent of participants stated that they had experienced discrimination in public authorities. The survey is not representative, but shows that many of those affected find such experiences stressful. Some reported long-term consequences such as self-doubt or anxiety. Only 17 percent turned to a complaints office. Many stated that they did not expect any change as a result of a complaint.
The research team derived several suggestions from the results. These include independent complaints offices, more transparency in decision-making and further training for employees. The aim is to reduce potential discrimination and strengthen trust in state institutions. The study was funded by the federal government with six million euros. Six of the 23 sub-projects were based at Leipzig University.
Original publication:
The full final report of the "Institutions and Racism" study, the results of the sub-projects and the employee survey are available here.
