Search for: All records

In 2015, approximately 12.4 million people were forcibly displaced due to conflict or persecution. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees this forced migration, caused by instability in the Middle East, continued into 2016 and continues in 2017. Many of those displaced persons have been hosted in developed countries. In 2015 alone, Germany accepted approximately 750,000 refugees and asylum seekers. This study evaluates how these German hosting communities perceive the impact of displaced persons on their water and wastewater systems. Data was collected in August 2016 via a survey deployed to the general public in Germany. The survey queried whether the additional population was temporary or permanent and whether their impact on water and wastewater systems was thought to be short or long term. Statistical modeling is used to estimate demographic (e.g., income, education) and geographic parameters (i.e., specific states) that affect the perceptions of the hosting communities. Decision makers in charge of trying to integrate displaced persons into their communities may minimize potential opposition by drawing on the implications of the findings of this study.