People with a migration background still underrepresented in German parliaments

• Despite their steadily growing numbers, people with a migration background remain underrepresented in federal and state parliaments – especially in western German states.
• The REPCHANCE study sponsored by the Robert Bosch Stiftung also shows that state support programs are rarely used by young politicians and are seen as only somewhat beneficial.
• Members of parliament with a migration background often find themselves instrumentalized or discriminated against in everyday parliamentary life.

Stuttgart/Berlin, September 25, 2024 -– Although the share of people in Germany with a migration background is continuously growing, they are still underrepresented in the Bundestag and state parliaments. The recent state elections have done nothing to change this. The REPCHANCE study sponsored by the Robert Bosch Stiftung shows that there is still a considerable gap between the actual makeup of German society and political representation.

While more than one in four people living in Germany has a migration background, they make up only 11.4 percent of Bundestag members. The discrepancy is even greater in the state parliaments, where they account for just 7.3%. The underrepresentation is particularly noticeable in Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Hesse. Only in the city-states is the percentage of members of parliament (MPs) with a migration background at least somewhat higher than their share in the voting population as a whole. For example, 21.1% of members of the Hamburg parliament have a migration background.

Causes of underrepresentation

“In dialogue with the MPs, we explored the question of which circumstances made their careers possible, which were supportive and which stood in their way,” says Prof. Dr. Andreas Wüst, Professor of Political Science at Munich University of Applied Sciences and head of the REPCHANCE study. According to Wüst, it is surprising that many respondents barely make use of large, well-established support programs – and sometimes even view them critically. “Personal mentoring relationships that develop individually and on the basis of trust are much more promising,” says Wüst.

People with a migration background who are interested in politics often do not have the confidence to run for a political mandate or for office, partly because they lack detailed knowledge of political processes. “Motivation, mobilization and support for a candidacy and during subsequent political work are very important for this group – all the more so in times of hate speech and threats,” says Professor Wüst. In addition to the detailed representative survey, the researchers conducted 77 guided interviews at all political levels to find out more about factors influencing parliamentary careers.

Instrumentalization and discrimination in everyday politics

Since 1990, the share of members of parliament with a migration background at federal and state level has risen continuously. However, many people who have made it into parliament report that they tend to be “assigned” migration or integration issues despite having other specialist expertise. And despite the perception of greater openness in each of the parties, more than half of the MPs surveyed say there are structures and norms in their own parliamentary group that put people with a migration background at a disadvantage. Such experiences are not only a burden for everyday political life but are demotivating in terms of political engagement and contribute to the feeling that they are undervalued.

Consequences for democracy

Dr. Ferdinand Mirbach, Senior Expert on Immigration Society at the Robert Bosch Stiftung, warns: “The feeling of not being properly represented in political processes can undermine trust in democracy.” For social cohesion in an immigration society, it is therefore important to dismantle structural barriers such as unfair nominating processes, discrimination, and a lack of access to networks in order to create equal opportunities for all people, regardless of background, religion or race. It is also important to strengthen democratic skills so that people from underrepresented groups in particular can voice their needs and experiences. The authors of the study believe that political parties in particular have a responsibility to do this. “The parties need to open up more than they have in the past. One important key, for example, could be inviting people into networks. Party officials bear a great responsibility for equal opportunities. They should make it clear that, categorically, all people have the same career and promotion opportunities,” says Wüst.

The REPCHANCE study is designed as an international comparative research project conducted in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and the UK. The publication of the comparative research results is planned for spring 2025.

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