COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in people with migratory backgrounds: a cross-sectional study among Turkish- and German-speaking citizens in Munich

Background This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy of people with migratory backgrounds among Turkish- and German-speaking patients in Munich. Methods Primary outcomes were the intention to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and COVID-19 knowledge levels (25 true/false items). Other variables included demographics, attitudes to COVID-19 and vaccination (7 items), and behaviors regarding COVID-19 (7 items). The attitude and behavior questions had 5-point Likert scales. Of the 10 Turkish-speaking family physicians in Munich, six agreed to administer Turkish or German questionnaires to consecutive patients in February 2021. Furthermore, participants with either citizenship, country of origin, native language, or place of birth being non-German were categorized as “Having a migratory background.” Data from 420 respondents were analyzed. Results Women constituted 41.4% (n = 174), the mean age was 42.2 ± 15.5 years, 245 (58.3%) preferred the Turkish questionnaire, 348 (82.9%) had a migratory background, and 197 (47.9%) intended to be vaccinated. The mean knowledge, attitude, and behavioral scores were 21.5 ± 3.2 (max = 25), 3.7 ± 0.8 (max = 5), and 4.0 ± 0.5 (max = 5). While 42.3% (n = 145) of the participants with a migratory background considered getting vaccinated, this proportion was 76.5% (n = 52) for non-immigrant Germans (Chi-square = 26.818, p < 0.001). Non-migratory background (odds ratio (OR): 3.082), high attitude scores (OR: 2.877), male sex (OR: 2.185), years of schooling (OR: 1.064), and age (OR: 1.022) were positively associated with vaccination intention. Conclusions We suggest initiating or supporting projects run by persons or groups with immigrant backgrounds to attempt to elaborate and change their vaccination attitudes.

Loneliness Among Migrants in Italy: Risks and Protectors

In this study we focused on migrants’ loneliness, in order to unpack risks for, and protective factors against, loneliness among migrants in Italy. Our data come from the ‘Social Condition and Integration among Foreign Citizens’ survey conducted by ISTAT during 2011–2012 on a sample of 25,000 individuals living in a household with at least one foreign-born member. Our results show that economic resources and employment protect from loneliness feelings, whereas education does not. Family and social embeddedness and satisfaction with life are protective factors, whereas discrimination, language barriers, deprived neighbourhoods and poor health are associated with a higher risk of loneliness. Gender is a key lens to consider when analysing loneliness especially in relation to fragile populations like those with a migratory background.

Forecasting under Uncertainty: How Network Composition Shapes Future-Oriented Cognition

Future migration is central to contemporary politics, but we know little of how citizens and policy-makers perceive and predict migratory trends. I analyze migration forecasting in a representative sample of the population of France, using survey data and administrative records to document differences in the accuracy of forecasting among groups of individuals. The article takes an interdisciplinary approach to future-oriented thinking, conceiving it as a distributed cognitive process, and showing that educational attainment and migratory background shape one’s ability to predict short-term trends. My analysis stresses the importance of accounting for sociodemographic characteristics and social networks in forecasting: I show that social diversity can improve predictions and extend studies based on the Delphi methodology by discussing the relevant expertise to forecast in different realms.

University Cities in Europe: Concept, Development Specifics and Urban Planning Patterns

The paper includes the analyses of university cities role in Europe, their properties and their origin causes. The main purpose of the article is the European university cities characteristics determination. The author clarified a concept of university city, since there is no clear scientific definition because each country has its own understanding of the university city meaning. In a narrow sense a university city is, as a rule, a small or medium-sized city, where the main socio-economic processes are closely related to the university and scientific activities. The general characteristics for a classifying a city as a university city is the historical and economic universities role and the total number of students and scientific workers. In Europe, most university cities are formed due to the long history. In medium and small university cities, the scientific and university cluster plays a city-forming role. Usually in older university cities, the university and campus occupy a vast area.In the research, the author analyzes specific examples of university cities. Attention is also paid to urban planning aspects because universities occupy vast city’s territory. Now in a knowledge-based society, universities play an important role including the linkages between the local and global levels of the knowledge economy. The city and university interaction is shown on the example of German university cities: Heidelberg, Göttingen, Marburg and Tübingen. It has been found that a young population structure is observed in these German cities. There is also a large proportion of young people among immigrants and residents with a migratory background.

The Effects of an Educational Intervention on COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors in People with Migratory Background: A Before-after Study

Background: This study investigated the feasibility to conduct an educational webinar for improving COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in Munich. Methods: A before-after experiment was conducted in Turkish-speaking family physician offices. Turkish-speaking participants (n=245) of a cross-sectional study evaluating COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors were invited to an educational webinar. COVID-19 vaccination intention and knowledge (25 true/false items) were the primary outcomes. Also, attitudes and behaviors to COVID-19 vaccination were asked using Likert scales (min. 1, max. 5). Results: Knowledge (22.8±1.5 vs. 23.1±1.5) and behavior (4.1±0.4 vs. 4.2±0.3) scores did not change after the intervention, nor changed the intention to be vaccinated (p>0.05). However, there was a significant increase in the attitude scores from mean 3.9±0.5 to 4.2±0.5 (p=0.009). The webinar received high scores (mean 4.7±0.2). Conclusion: We suggest educational interventions involving key persons from the Turkish-speaking community as peer trainers to change the negative attitudes towards vaccination.

Fear and cultural background drive sexual orientation prejudice in France

Sexual stereotyping and its negative consequences remain major issues in Western societies. Sexual prejudice is often nurtured by the socio-cultural background in which individuals grow up, making differences in sexual prejudice especially visible in multicultural societies. In France, one example of such a multicultural society with a high number of French citizens with recent migratory background from Maghreb, the socio-cultural basis of sexual prejudice has largely remained unexplored. Here, we report results from an experimental study investigating sexual stereotyping in France. We base our analyses on an elicited corpus of spontaneous speech samples. We consider in particular the effects of the participants’ cultural background (France vs. Maghreb), age and gender on the expression of prejudicial attitudes. Specifically, we tested in a context-sensitive sentiment analysis approach which attitudes (negative vs. positive) and emotions (joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust) were voiced. We find strong effects of cultural background and gender both on the frequency of negative vs. positive attitudes expressed and on associated emotion categories, namely that male Maghrebian participants were more negative and conveyed more fear in their speech samples. The results are discussed in the context of current diversity approaches in France and their implications for potential prejudice regulation strategies.

Vocational counseling and the aspiration of achieving a university admission of students with a migratory background in The United States, Latin America, and South Europe. A systematic literature review

There is limited research that considers students with migratory background cultural characteristics within vocational counseling processes in high schools of the United States, Latin America, and South Europe. A systematic literature review was made, guided by the question: In young migrants and second-generation migrants, how vocational counseling influences the achievement of being admitted into a university, comparing their life trajectories during secondary and high school? A total of ten articles, out of three hundred eleven initially found, were selected based on a protocol for the literature review (available on request). All these articles belong to the United States context. One also considered the Spain reality. Based on the protocol used, neither another Southern Europe article, nor any article on the Latin American context was selected. All the analyzed articles pointed up the central role of counseling processes regarding students' vocational decisions. Nonetheless, there is not much attention to counseling processes given to students with a migratory background and their specific needs. Among others, this fact reveals one of the failures of the system in giving post-secondary opportunities to these students. Limitations and recommendations to improve the vocational counseling processes and their influence on the achievement of admission into a university for these students are presented. Besides, some gender differences and the transcendental role of families in the vocational decisions of students are analyzed within the literature review.

Border Crossing and Self-Placement of Characters with a Migratory Background in Contemporary German Novels

The existence of a “Migrant literature” is heavily debated in German studies, especially when it comes to authors like those of the third voice, who are socialized in Germany and speak German as their mother tongue. Nonetheless, novels that deal with migration and living with migrant backgrounds have similar characteristics. This article is primarily about the topic of crossing borders in such migrant novels by Olga Grjasnowa, Sasha Marianna Salzmann and Dimitrij Kapitelman. Which effects does border crossing have on characters with a migration background? The novels examined are not only characterized by a border crossing of migration from east to west, but actually even by multiple border crossings on different levels, that are always linked to each other. The literature of the third voice unites aspects of migration, but equally also aspects of adolescent literature and family sagas. That is shown, among other things, in the presentation and meaning of boundaries and their crossings as identity-creating moments and as coping strategies. Therefore, these border crosser stories enable new perspectives compared to conventional family sagas and adolescent literature.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in people with migratory backgrounds: A cross- sectional study among Turkish- and German-speaking citizens in Munich

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and vaccine hesitancy of people with migratory backgrounds among Turkish- and German-speaking patients in Munich regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsPrimary outcomes were the intention to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and COVID-19 knowledge levels (25 true/false items). Other variables included demographics, attitudes to COVID-19 and vaccination (7 items), and behaviors regarding COVID-19 (7 items). The attitude and behavior questions had 5-point Likert scales. Of the 10 Turkish-speaking family physicians in Munich, 6 agreed to administer Turkish or German questionnaires to consecutive patients during February 2021. Participants with either citizenship, country of origin, native language, or place of birth being non-German were categorized as “Having a migratory background.” Data from 420 respondents were analyzed.ResultsWomen constituted 41.4% (n=174), the mean age was 42.2±15.5 years, 245 (58.3%) preferred the Turkish questionnaire, 348 (82.9%) had a migratory background, and 197 (47.9%) intended to be vaccinated. The mean knowledge, attitude, and behavior scores were 21.5±3.2 (max=25), 3.7±0.8 (max=5), and 4.0±0.5 (max=5). While 42.3% (n=145) of the participants with a migratory background considered getting vaccinated, this proportion was 76.5% (n=52) for non-immigrant Germans (Chi-square=26.818, p<0.001). Non-migratory background (Odds Ratio (OR): 3.082), high attitude scores (OR: 2.877), male sex (OR: 2.185), years of schooling (OR: 1.064), and age (OR: 1.022) were positively associated with vaccination intention.ConclusionsWe suggest initiating or supporting projects run by persons or groups from inside the immigrants targeting to elaborate and change their vaccination attitudes.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in People With Migratory Backgrounds: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Turkish- and German-Speaking Citizens in Munich

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and vaccine hesitancy of people with migratory backgrounds among Turkish- and German-speaking patients in Munich regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsPrimary outcomes were the intention to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and COVID-19 knowledge levels (25 true/false items). Other variables included demographics, attitudes to COVID-19 and vaccination (7 items), and behaviors regarding COVID-19 (7 items). The attitude and behavior questions had 5-point Likert scales. Of the 10 Turkish-speaking family physicians in Munich, 6 agreed to administer Turkish or German questionnaires to consecutive patients during February 2021. Participants with either citizenship, country of origin, native language, or place of birth being non-German were categorized as “Having a migratory background.” Data from 420 respondents were analyzed.ResultsWomen constituted 41.4% (n=174), the mean age was 42.2±15.5 years, 245 (58.3%) preferred the Turkish questionnaire, 348 (82.9%) had a migratory background, and 197 (47.9%) intended to be vaccinated. The mean knowledge, attitude, and behavior scores were 21.5±3.2 (max=25), 3.7±0.8 (max=5), and 4.0±0.5 (max=5). While 42.3% (n=145) of the participants with a migratory background considered getting vaccinated, this proportion was 76.5% (n=52) for non-immigrant Germans (Chi-square=26.818, p<0.001). Non-migratory background (Odds Ratio (OR): 3.082), high attitude scores (OR: 2.877), male sex (OR: 2.185), years of schooling (OR: 1.064), and age (OR: 1.022) were positively associated with vaccination intention.ConclusionsWe suggest initiating or supporting projects run by persons or groups from inside the immigrants targeting to elaborate and change their vaccination attitudes.