The long shadow of socialisation
This study asks a simple question: when people move from one country to another, how much of who they become was already shaped before they left?It focuses on highly skilled Chinese migrants living in Germany: people with strong education, good jobs, fluent language skills, and secure residence. On paper, they have everything needed to settle in fully. Yet many continue to relate to others, view politics, judge news, and feel about their home country in ways that trace back to how they were raised in China, rather than to what they encounter in Germany.Drawing on 62 in-depth interviews, the study examines four areas: how people build community with one another, how they engage with politics, how they assess news and information, and how they feel about national belonging. Across all four, a common thread appears. The values and emotional habits formed early in life, under an authoritarian system, tend to endure even after years in a very different society.The central conclusion is that understanding migrants requires looking not only at the conditions they meet in their new country, but also at what they carry with them. Policies that offer access and opportunity remain important, yet they may not be enough on their own.