Publications

Deliverable 3.1 Measurement and description of cross-national patterns and trends in identities, cohesion and resilience
Over the past two decades, social cohesion has become a central concern for European policymakers. Rising economic inequality, demographic change, increased mobility and migration, and growing political polarisation have all raised questions about the capacity of European societies to remain cohesive while undergoing rapid transformation. Trust—both interpersonal trust among citizens and trust in institutions—has long been recognised as a key pillar of social cohesion, underpinning cooperation, compliance with rules, and the legitimacy of public authority. This deliverable provides a descriptive analysis of social cohesion in Europe, focusing on inter-personal (social) trust and institutional trust as key dimensions of cohesion. Using data from the European Social Survey (ESS), the report documents levels, dispersion, and temporal trends in trust across European regions defined at the NUTS1 level. By moving beyond national averages, the analysis highlights substantial subnational variation in trust and reveals how regional trust environments differ within countries.
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WE-ID Content Analysis Migration Germany Abschlussbericht
Migration remains a persistent and defining demographic phenomenon in Germany: In 2020, more than a quarter of the population (26.7%) had a migration background. Between 2011 and 2020, approximately 14.6 million people immigrated to Germany from abroad. The data demonstrate that migration remains a structurally significant and dynamic issue for Germany. It forms the basis for understanding current debates on integration and media representations of migration. While the preceding content analysis revealed how migration is portrayed in German media, the focus groups allowed researchers to explore how these portrayals are actually received in migrant communities, particularly under conditions of transnational media consumption. Against this backdrop, this final report in this context aims to examine how representations of migration in German media correspond to the perception of the Turkish and Russian diasporas in Germany and what role diaspora and exile media play (or can play) in fostering social cohesion.
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D4.1 We-ID Milestone Report - Social Identity and Political Participation
The aim of this report is to investigate how social identities and political participation of immigrants and their descendants vary in Europe. European countries have experienced increased immigration over the last few decades. Immigrants and their descendants form a quarter of the population in most Northern, Western and Southern European countries; with this share lower but growing in Eastern Europe. Migration has not only increased the social and cultural heterogeneity of European societies, but migrants and ethnic minorities themselves are a diverse group in their characteristics and identities. By studying migrants and their descendants we can better understand wider trends and patterns in cultural, social and political identities, and political participation in European societies; determine factors that promote or hinder migrant inclusion, social integration and cohesion; and develop policies to support heterogeneous population groups in our societies.
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Deliverable 2.2: Concept Paper on resilient (local) democraties
Resilient communities are understood as the strength of socio-spatial systems to withstand exceptionally stressful events. These can include socio-interactive, communal structures and processes, as well as technical, institutional, municipal, and societal factors.In We-ID, we are guided by a concept primarily derived from social psychology, sociology, and community psychology: Community and societal resilience arises from coordinated social interactions. Social connections and achievements strengthen the community's capacity to function (capacity building). The cohesion and resilience of a community, its social capital, therefore results from the sum, density, and strength of the bonds between its members (Beerlage 2023).
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Migration Reporting in Germany: Perspectives from Quality and Fringe Media
A comparative content analysis of selected German media by Merle van Berkum, Juliane Niepert and Susanne Fengler

Migration has been a central social issue in Germany for decades. Especially since the so-called "refugee crisis" of 2015, immigration has been a prominent feature in political, media, and public discourse. The media's portrayal of migration plays a crucial role in public perception and opinion formation. Newspapers such as Die Welt, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), and the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) are among Germany's leading quality media outlets. Their reporting not only influences their readership but can also shape political discourse.
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Rethinking Migration and Integration in Europe From Crisis Management to Democratic Inclusion Population Europe

Local cultural and regional contexts strongly influence how migration is perceived. Currently, EU migration policy oscillates between management and control on the one hand, and integration and inclusion on the other. However, genuine integration is developing in local communities and in the workplace. This is the latest Population Europe Policy Insight from We-ID experts Claudia Neu, Hill Kulu, Ljubica Nikolic, Öndercan Muti, and Sarah Christison.
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Deliverable 2.1: Thematic Stakeholder Dialogue Concept Note
The work package 2 provides the conceptual foundations for a democracy and resilience-enhancing policy that also explores how policy-making can prevent and combat social and territorial marginalisation and discrimination, while also creating a sense of belonging and cohesion for all EU citizens and migrants. The work package will also strongly crosslink to the Policy Advocacy and Research Lab (WP7) and serve as input for the other scientific parts dealing with drivers, migration patterns and identities. In deliverable 2.1 migration policy plays a very special role, as it has become the starting point for anti-democratic attempts by right-wing parties to undermine the EU, using narratives of "foreign infiltration" and loss of national identity. Cohesion policy, in particular integration policy at EU and national level, must also be critically scrutinised, as it is largely responsible for the opportunities for (ethnic, religious) minorities, migrants and their descendants, people with disabilities and people of different sexual orientations to participate in the (local) community.
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Deliverable 5.1: Mind Map of existing models on identity, belonging, cohesion, resilience and democracy
The purpose of this deliverable is to map and synthesize existing models of identity, belonging, cohesion, resilience, and democracy through a structured mind map. This will provide a shared conceptual foundation for the We-ID project, highlight overlaps and gaps across disciplines, and guide the project’s analytical, methodological, and policy-oriented work.
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D 1.4 We-ID_Plan for the Exploitation and Dissemination of Results (PEDR9)
The Plan for the Exploitation and Dissemination of Results (PEDR) presents the concrete actions that will be undertaken for the communication, dissemination, and exploitation of We-ID’s project results, and how their efficiency will be measured and evaluated in the project. It includes the main objectives of the strategy, target audiences, activities planned, timeline and the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that will be used to evaluate the efficiency of the strategy and eventually make adaptations if necessary. It ensures constant awareness of important aspects, leads continuously review and improvements, so that necessary adaptions can be made at any time. Regular improvements should be made based on lessons learned. All partners will be involved in the process and kept regularly updated.
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D1.2 Website We-ID
Installing the We-ID project website is part of WP1. The deliverable D1.2 describes why a website was chosen as a communication tool for the We-ID project results and why it was designed in the form in which it went online in early April 2025. Compared to social media platforms, a website offers plenty of space for comprehensive information. The contextual presentation of the project results with useful background information strengthens the expertise of the project partners and builds trust in the research results. Especially for a project as complex as We-ID, it offers the opportunity to provide detailed explanations.Presenting project results in context with useful background information strengthens the expertise of the project partners and builds trust in the research results. Especially when a project is as complex as We-ID you have the opportunity to provide detailed explanations on a website.

Social media presence can also pay off for website’s visibility, since search engines can more easily assign it to a category based on the social media profile of the project and will reward this with higher ranking. Also valuable backlinks on social media will be collected, which will improve website’s visibility. At the moment we analyse which channels our target audience particularly enjoys using to provide them with regular content (see PEDR Plan for Exploitation and Dissemination). A project website can be a cost-effective and targeted “marketing tool” to increase the visibility of the project and it becomes even more valuable if it is continually maintained and optimized.
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WQAP We-ID Work and Quality Assurance Plan DEM (WP1)
The Work and Quality Assurance Plan (WQAP) is part of WP1 and is intended to be a reference document that enables an efficient and successful collaborative work that achieves the objectives of the project with high quality standards. It also serves as a reference for all project partners to map their responsibilities and roles in relation to project deliverables and results. Quality Assurance and Control procedures are established throughout the deliverable, in order to monitor the development of the overall project and to fulfil the rules of acknowledging the EC funding. Furthermore, a uniform “brand presence” of all publications/presenting the project to the public of all project partners should be ensured. The requirements of making project material available to external others will be covered in the data management plan (D 1.3).
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