By Louise Lyck Dreehsen, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Colourbox. Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni

New research from Aalborg University shows that integration in Denmark is going better than the political debate tends to reflect.

Whereas public awareness is often characterized by the notion of parallel societies, the researchers document, based on extensive registry-based data, that Danes increasingly spend their time and live their lives across ethnic origins – in family life, at school and in the labour market.

"When we look at the figures, it is difficult to maintain the image of a population living in separate worlds. In fact, we see the opposite: Danes are mixing more and more. Integration takes place in practice – often without much fanfare," says Professor Christian Albrekt Larsen, Department of Politics and Society, Aalborg University who heads the project.

More contact – in families, schools and at work

The research shows that mixing across ethnicities is increasing – especially in relationships not of your own choosing. This applies, for example, to who you go to school with, who you work with and who your children marry.

In 1985, 94 percent of all coupled relationships consisted of two people of Danish origin. By 2020, the proportion had fallen to 83 percent, and the number of inter-ethnic marriages had more than doubled. At the same time, children of mixed origin have become more common – in 1985 they accounted for 4.4 percent of all 0-16-year-olds in Denmark. In 2019, it was 8.2 percent.

Major changes have also taken place in schools and the labour market. In 1990, there were 787 primary schools without a single child with a non-Western background. Today, that number is down to 168. And in the workplace, it has become much more common to have colleagues of other ethnic backgrounds.

"It is precisely in the places where you cannot freely choose your relationships that integration has the greatest potential. This is where daily contact occurs, which in the long run can break down prejudices and create new communities," says Christian Albrekt Larsen.

And when it comes to close friendships, contact is also clear: According to the study, 37 percent of ethnic Danes have close friends with an immigrant background, while up to 90 percent of immigrants and descendants of immigrants indicate that they have close Danish friends – also among groups that are often described as least integrated.

Transformation underway

According to the researchers, integration is not only about adaptation on the part of the minority; it is also about changes in the majority population.

"Denmark today is a country of immigration. This changes both those who come here and those who already live here. This transformation is underway – and it is evident in the data we have analyzed," says Christian Albrekt Larsen.

The research project has culminated in the book, "En befolkning blander sig – kontakt mellem majoriteten og etniske minoriteter i Danmark" [A population mixes – contact between the majority and ethnic minorities in Denmark] that can be read free of charge online.