Germans are divided over the government refugee policy as 42 percent believed that the country should continue to take in as many refugees as it currently does, according to the DeutschlandTrend survey published by public broadcaster ARD on Friday.

On the other hand, 40 percent were for accepting fewer refugees, while 11 percent thought that Germany should grant shelter to even more refugees, according to the survey conducted with 1,043 eligible voters in Germany.

Back in 2015, 37 percent supported hosting an equal number of refugees, 33 percent were for fewer and 22 percent for more in Germany, the survey noted.

The Ministry of the Interior reported in early January that the number of refugees was decreasing.

In 2018, around 1.59 million migrants came to Germany, roughly the same number as in the previous year. In 2016 the figure was 1.87 million, said the ministry, citing figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

Meanwhile, 1.19 million migrants left Germany in 2018. Net migration amounted to 0.4 million, its lowest level since 2013, said the ministry.

The ministry noted that migration to Germany "was changing." Humanitarian migration had declined between 2016 and 2018, but more people came to Germany to study and work.