From November 2015 to February 2016, MiCT’s research unit conducted in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions with 88 refugees from Iraq and Syria in Berlin. The study centered on the question which information sources they used during the stages of pre-departure, the actual travel, and the period after their arrival in Germany.
The results demonstrate that most of the interviewees did feel well-informed before and during their flight. The most-trusted information about routes and risks was inter-personal communication with individuals who had freshly arrived in the EU. Traditional media, in contrast, hardly played any role for them. A great lack of access to reliable information was perceived after the arrival in Germany, especially because of language barriers.