Most Turkish Germans maintain a strong connection with Turkey: study

Most Turkish Germans maintain a strong connection with Turkey: study

PanARMENIAN.Net - A study from the Center for Turkish Studies at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany has found that most of the 3 million people with Turkish roots living Germany feel more strongly connected to Turkey than to Germany, Deutsche Welle reports.

The study was released one day after German footballer Mesut Özil announced he was quitting the national team, citing racism, after he was criticized for meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May.

What the study found

- About 89 percent feel they belong "strongly" or "very strongly" to Turkey, and about 81 percent to Germany.

- About 83 percent feel somewhat or very at home in both Germany and Turkey.

- 38 percent would not return to Turkey, 15 percent intend to return permanently and 37 percent live between Turkey and Germany.

- 19.6 percent were strongly interested in German politics, 47 percent had little interest.

- 33.9 percent were strongly interested in Turkish politics, 30.7 percent weren't very interested.

The Mesut Özil affair: German football player Mesut Özil announced he was quitting the German football team on Monday, after he came under fire for meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May. The move saw some German politicians and fans question Özil's loyalty to Germany. Özil said he was treated as being "different," saying "I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose." Following Özil's announcement, a spokeswomen for German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday said the majority of the about 3 million people with Turkish heritage who live in Germany are well integrated and that people with migrant backgrounds were welcome in Germany.

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