While in America, Mexican-Americans tend to favor amnesty for illegal immigrants and unlimited entry, not so with Syrians in Germany. There, 80 percent of Syrian immigrants are fine with a humanitarian policy but want an admission cap. 

The survey by the University of Münster and the polling institute TNS Emnid showed 46 percent ask themselves whether there might be numerous terrorists among the newly arriving refugees.

71 percent of respondents are convinced that most of their fellow countrymen who fled wish to return to Syria after the end of the war, says sociology Prof. Dr. Detlef Pollack. Just as many believe that "Germany can manage to deal with the problems of taking in so many refugees" while 66 percent realize the nation and its society will chang a lot if that happens.

The survey was of 500 immigrants from Syria and their children between December 2015 and March 2016 for the survey. They have been living in Germany for 20 years on average, at least for one year, others for four decades. 20 percent of respondents were born in Germany and 50 percent are German citizens.

The results are part of a large representative survey of the Cluster of Excellence and TNS Emnid among people in Germany of Turkish and Syrian origin about questions of integration, discrimination, religiousness and fundamentalism. They want to examine what members of the minority of Turkish and Syrian Origin - predominantly Muslims - understand by successful integration, how integrated they think they are themselves regarding language, culture or the labor market, what marginalization they have experienced, and what role they ascribe to religion in society.

"In light of the growing religious plurality in Germany, there are often tensions between the majority society and religious or ethnic minorities," explains Prof. Pollack. "It is therefore not sufficient to determine the attitudes, the norms and the self-perception of the majority society alone. Rather, it is necessary to thoroughly analyze the attitudes, interpretations, wishes and dislikes of the minorities as well. Political and legal regulations only take effect to the degree to which they meet with support in society as a whole."