Determinants of Refugees’ Identification with Country of Origin and Host Country and Their Naturalization Intentions: Evidence from Germany

Abstract

Despite extensive research on immigrants’ identification and its integration implications, a substantial gap remains in understanding the factors and mechanisms underlying refugees’ identification processes. This study addresses this gap by adopting a comprehensive perspective, simultaneously examining their origin-country and host-country identification alongside naturalization intentions among recently arrived refugees in Germany. Drawing on a nationally representative, longitudinal survey of refugees, our findings reveal the importance of refugee-specific and immigrant-generic factors shaping identification processes and citizenship intentions. Factors such as health risks, traumatic experiences, barriers to return, and residency obligations are significantly related to origin-country and host-country identifications and citizenship intentions, highlighting the unique challenges faced by refugees. Refugee identification and citizenship intentions are also influenced by immigrant-generic factors, including welcoming societal context upon arrival, destination language proficiency, contacts with natives, and ties with family and friends in their country of origin. Theoretical insights from our study underscore the presence of distinct mechanisms driving origin-country identification versus host-country identification and citizenship intentions.