The study by the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) found that 21% of respondents reported thinking about emigration. Among Germans without a migration background, the share was 17%. Those who themselves immigrated to Germany were twice as likely to consider leaving (34%).
As someone who emigrated within the EU, I thought the same. The article does not say where people in Germany intend to go.
And we must not forget that if you live in Germany or in another democratic country, you are free to emigrate if you want to, while in many states like China or Russia leaving the country is highly restricted. Many of people there, if they can, flee to Europe, Australia, and other Western democracies.
Can I ask what you mean with "highly restricted”? I don’t know about China, but Russia doesn’t have any harsh restrictions in place I have heard of. You got the problem that you cannot fly to many countries directly anymore and of course you need money to make it happen comfortably, but the money part is true for leaving any country. The bigger issue is as a Russian to get any sort of Visa for staying, which of course indirectly is caused by the Russian government itself. But I wouldn’t see that as restriction imposed by the government.
Wikipedia has a table of countries with German citizens. It is mainly Western democracies.