Item List

Five test persons (TP 05, 06, 07, 09, 14) state that they do not see a big difference between this statement and the previous statements. Test subject 07 hesitates when answering and asks: "What was the first question", whereupon the interviewer reads item a) again. The test person answers, "Isn't that the same? Then the same answer. I immediately had the feeling that it is about the same thing [statement a], but has a different choice of words". She adds that the intentions of both statements are conditional: "If I do not feel connected to something, I do not belong to it and vice versa".

The five other respondents put forward a similar line of argument when asked why they had chosen their respective answer category:

• "It's basically the same thing." (TP 05)
• "This is the same for me as before. I didn't notice any difference in the question." (TP 06)
• "It's the same. As the first statement." (TP 09)

These five test persons (TP 05, 06, 07, 09, 14) chose the same answer category for statement c) as before for statement a).

The reaction of test person 01 illustrates very well the intention of the different statements, which are perceived as similar: "Why do I feel I belong?". She therefore spontaneously takes up the formulation of statement a). Furthermore, she subsequently reports that she found it very difficult to distinguish between the statements, whereby she "rather" agrees with statement c), but "fully" agrees with statement a).

Three test persons (TP 02, 11, 13) "rather" agree with statement c) and also answer it exactly like statement a). To justify her choice of answer, test person 02 states that part of her "is on the Italian side and that is why I answered ‘rather’” . The "only" agreeing rather expresses that she cannot fully agree with the attachment to the German culture of origin because of her father's Italian roots. Test person 11 argues that "through the parents and the family alone, one feels connected [with the Kurdish culture of origin]”.

A total of five test persons (TP 03, 04, 08, 10, 12) provide different information for items a) and c).

Test person 04 agrees "rather", "because my parents are Chinese, I have a tendency to be attracted to China".

Test person 12 answers with "partly" and in the explanation it becomes clear that again the perceived lack of coining power of the German culture is the reason for the low agreement to the statements: "If you pray together - I have an uncle who lives in Dubai. And they pray together 5-6 times a day - the culture is more connected when you have something that everyone does together, like in Germany, where you are completely free, there are many different cultures and religions.”

Test persons 03, 08 and 10 answer here with "rather disagree" and belong, like test persons 04 and 12 mentioned before, to those who gave a different answer to item c) than to item a). When asked why they answered in this way, different reasons follow. Test person 03 finds that "I cannot even say exactly what it means to me. So, accordingly, I do not feel closely connected." For subject 08, the aspects of her culture of origin are "no longer so important" and she "can now see this from a distance". Test person 10 cannot agree with statement c), because "if someone agrees completely, then I immediately think of the boys who are running with Pegida in Leipzig. This is the first thing that comes to my mind. They are very much connected to their culture of origin. They want to do everything to preserve their culture. I simply don't like this word ‘culture of origin’”.

A similar association is also awakened by question 3 in test person 15 (answer: "partly"). He justifies the choice of his answer with the fact that "I did not know exactly, what do they want from me here? That is why I formulated a little cautiously, neither clearly "yes" nor clearly "no", in order to be simple in the middle". He was afraid that by agreeing to the statements he would be placed in the political right corner.

The test persons whose answers to statements a) and c) were different were asked to describe what they thought was the difference between the two. Four test persons (TP 03, 04, 08, 10) define "belonging" in such a way that it is sufficient to be "born here, grown up here" (TP 10) to feel that they belong. "Connectedness" on the other hand is characterized by an emotional component: "Closely connected sounds very emotional to me. [...] And to belong strongly means that you belong. One can also belong to a group, i.e. I am German because I was born in Germany, and the culture of origin would be closely connected emotionally. And although I can be German and belong to it, I cannot feel connected to it at all" (TP 03).

Test person 12, after a closer look at both statements, would revise his answer to statement a) and change it from "rather agree" to "partly": "I would now also rather state 'partly, partly' when I think about the strongly associated, if I think about it now. That was so out of feeling. There is not much difference between the statements".

Test person 15 answers differently, "but the questions don't make any difference to me. Whether closely related or strongly related, it's all the same to me." To justify the different answer categories, he cites that "the second question came I slowed down even more." He felt - as described above - pushed into the political right corner.

For half of the test persons the only difference between statements a) and c) is the wording of the items, their intentions are the same. For four test persons, the formulation of statement c) has an emotional coloration. This could also be the reason why some test persons disagree with this item, whereas none of the test persons disagrees with statement a)