Nearly six in ten Germans fear the Islamisation of their country, according to a new poll published by a leading Christian organisation.
A survey commissioned by the evangelical organisation Idea found that 57 per cent of Germans fear Islamisation, with more women, 61 per cent, fearing it than men, just 51 per cent.
Churchgoers and non-churchgoers were equally afraid.
There was also a marked difference among different generations. The young were least fearful, with just a third of 18 to 24-year-olds fearing Islamisation, while nearly two-thirds of those aged over 45 feared it.
Nearly six out of ten also feared that refugees were bringing crime and terrorism to Germany.
This was particularly marked among Jewish respondents, more than nine out of ten of whom were afraid.
One in four Muslims also feared this.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently admitted that her open door policy on migrants had been a mistake.
She said: "We didn't embrace the problem in an appropriate way. In Germany we ignored the problem for too long and blocked out the need to find a pan-European solution."
Last year alone, Germany welcomed 1.1 million refugees. More have been arriving since the start of this year.
Some refugees have committed crimes including assault and molestation of German women, sparking unrest and protest among the German people and fuelling support for far-right movements such a PEGIDA.
Oxford historian Timothy Garton Ash has predicted that Merkel might be on her way out of power.