Auslander raus? The empirical relationship between immigration and crime in Germany

Objective. Natives in many advanced industrial democracies have exhibited fears that immigrants create social and economic problems. Empirically, the relationships between immigration and unemployment, crime rates, welfare spending, and other socioeconomic phenomena have not yet been adequately explored. The purpose of this research is to help elucidate the relationship between crime and immigration in Germany. Methods. Historical data and simple statistical tests are used to evaluate the relationship between immigration and crime. Results. The findings show that increases in immigration are associated with increases in crime levels, but other factors, including unemployment levels, are also important. Conclusions. Because the results help provide a fuller understanding of the effects of immigration, they can contribute constructively to debates regarding optimal immigration policies.