Muslim Life in Germany - Deutsche Islam Konferenz

Concise profiles of the migrant group 295
Muslims of Turkish origin also live in large households,
with an average of 3.8 people living in a Turkish Muslim household.
Among Muslims from all countries of origin, Turkish Muslims
are most likely to have attended school in Germany. At the
same time their standard of education is the lowest. Around half
of them either have no school-leaving qualification at all or only
a low-level school-leaving qualification. Nevertheless, advancement
is observable among second and third generation Turkish
Muslims in comparison to the education standard of the first
generation. The relatively low standard of education is closely
connected to the history of immigration. During the recruitment
of workers in the 1960s it was people in particular from
regions that were relatively economically underdeveloped and
had a social structure with a relatively low qualification profile
such as East Anatolia who migrated to Germany. This educational
deficit has been perpetuated from one generation to the
next compared with other groups, even though the standard
has improved across the generations.
The proportion of blue-collar workers is high among Muslims
of Turkish origin in gainful employment: 53 per cent of this
group are blue-collar workers. Accordingly, the proportion of
highly qualified people is low. This is linked to the motive of labour
migration to jobs in the low-skill sector. There are already a
relatively high number of pensioners among Muslims of Turkish
origin.
Regarding contacts Muslims of Turkish origin are well
integrated in society. Around half of them are members of a
German organisation and they also have frequent contact with
Germans in their neighbourhood and at the workplace. Almost
90 per cent of Muslims of Turkish origin regard themselves as