A Forsa poll in Germany has revealed that 73% of the population doubts the country's ability to cope with additional refugees from Iran amid rising regional tensions. The survey results indicate particularly high skepticism among supporters of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the far-right Alternative for Germany party, but also a majority among voters of the center-left Social Democrats and the socialist Left party.

Only Green party supporters largely stated they would not expect major problems from potential new arrivals. This debate unfolds as fighting and repression in Iran intensify, raising concerns about possible migration flows, although international organizations note there are currently no clear signs of a large-scale exodus from the country.

Germany already hosts Europe's largest Iranian diaspora, with approximately 319,000 people of Iranian origin, including around 128,000 German citizens. The country has experienced several large refugee inflows in recent years, shaping its migration policy and public discourse. The largest wave occurred in 2015–2016, when over 1 million asylum seekers—primarily from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan—arrived; since February 2022, Germany has also been taking in Ukrainians following Russia's invasion.

Concurrently, official statistics show that one in ten workers in Germany engages in night shifts. Data for 2024 indicates that out of 42.6 million workers, about 4 million were active between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Men are almost twice as likely to work nights, at 11.7%, compared to 6.5% of women.

Night work declines with age: among those under 35, the rate is 10.6%, while for those over 55, it drops to 7.4%. The highest shares are in aviation (42.6%) and security services (40.2%), followed by metal production (31.1%). Transport and logistics, healthcare, and hospitality sectors also record above-average levels, whereas night work is rare in construction preparation, IT services, and education.

Source: www.dw.com