Against the backdrop of the 2015/16 refugee migration, which brought many young unmarried men from Syria and Afghanistan to Germany facing challenges in finding co-ethnic (marriage) partners, our study explores (1) the partnership patterns of Syrian and Afghan refugees and examines to what extent they reflect (2) refugees’ partnership preferences and (3) the partnership preference of the German population, including those with a migration background. Utilizing a newly collected first wave of the PARFORM data, comprising approximately 2700 male refugees, we present a comprehensive overview of their partnership patterns since arriving in Germany. Additionally, through virtually identical factorial survey experiments conducted in two datasets—the 9th wave of the CILS4EU-DE and the 1st wave of the PARFORM survey—we compare partnership preferences on both sides. This comparison involves testing for alignment on key characteristics such as education, religion, and religiosity. By juxtaposing partnership patterns with preferences, our study aims to enhance understanding of the role preferences play in the process of partnership formation between refugees and members of the host society.
