Is learning German a must? Residents share views in new poll

A new poll conducted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation has found that German citizens and international residents agree that newcomers to Germany should learn the language.

Everyone agrees learning German is important

In these turbulent times, apparently there is one thing we can all kind of agree on: it is important to learn German if you live in Germany. 

According to a new study conducted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which is affiliated with the CDU, 74 percent of people “fully agree” that international people living in Germany should learn German, while 22 percent “somewhat agree”. 

3.015 Germans without a recent migration background, Germans with a recent migration background and foreign nationals living in Germany were surveyed by telephone between October 2024 and January 2025.

In fact, international residents are even more steadfast on the importance of learning German than German citizens. 73 percent of German nationals without a recent migration background “fully agreed” that it is important for internationals to learn German, compared to 83 percent of foreign nationals living in Germany.

German skills mean higher pay

Learning German can be expensive and is a long slog, but it is possible and it pays off. Alongside meaning you can find jobs and make friends more easily, go about your daily tasks and take part in public discussion in Germany, those with German skills have a better chance of finding well-paid work.

A 2024 report by the job platform Indeed found that, of the millions of Germany-based job listings posted between September 2023 and August 2024, just 2,7 percent of advertisements said that German was not required for the job.

Of the jobs where German was not a requirement, nine out of 10 listings were for underpaid positions, such as cleaning services, beauty, retail, hospitality, farming and security services. A 2019 study by the Institute for Economic Research (IW) in Cologne also found that the better their German skills, the more migrant workers earn.