Patterns of Political Engagement Among Immigrant-Origin Citizens: Comparing Germany and the Netherlands

Citizens with immigrant backgrounds constitute a growing share of Europe’s electorates, yet their political participation continues to lag behind that of citizens without an immigrant background. These differences expose enduring inequalities in political incorporation across European democracies. Existing cross-national research offers mixed explanations for these gaps and pays limited attention to variation within immigrant-origin groups. This paper addresses this issue by comparing the Netherlands, often described as having a more inclusive integration approach, with Germany’s more restrictive model, to examine how institutional contexts and individual characteristics, including demographic factors and experiences of discrimination, shape electoral and non-electoral engagement. Empirically, the paper draws on merged survey data that cover the largest immigrant groups in each country and enable comparisons of the same immigrant group across contexts. Preliminary results reveal that contextual differences between the Dutch and German cases privilege different forms of participation, yet resources such as education remain consistently significant. By showing how institutional environments and individual experiences jointly shape political engagement, the paper advances a more nuanced understanding of immigrant political incorporation.