French-Turks more integrated than German/Dutch Turks

French-Turks more integrated than German/Dutch Turks


Turkish immigrants and their children in the Netherlands are less fluent in the language of the country in which they live then those in France. They also use it relatively less often. Additionally, they have less contact with ethnic Europeans. There are no significant differences between Turks in the Netherlands and in Germany.

This according to a study which will be presented Wednesday by social-scientist Evelyn Ersanilli of the VU University in Amsterdam. She studied social-cultural integration of Turks in the Netherlands, Germany and France and the link between that and the integration policy of those countries. The researcher surveyed about 1,000 Turkish immigrants, and had dozens of in-depth interviews.

Ersanilli says that Dutch Turks are less integrated than French-Turks because the Netherlands gives immigrants a lot of space to uphold their culture. Ethnic and religious minorities can get subsidies for their own schools and public broadcasters. She writes this has more of a negative effect than a positive one on the acceptance of the local culture.

Turkish Dutch do identify relatively more with the Netherlands. The same goes for French-Turks. The two groups feel more "Dutch" and "French" than German-Turks feel "German".

Source: SpitsNieuws (Dutch), h/t NRP