BERLIN, May 5 (Xinhua) -- One in five people in Germany, or 22 percent, said they had experienced racism, according to a study published by the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) on Thursday.

       Overall, two-thirds of Germany's population had come into contact with racism, through their own experiences, observations or descriptions of their immediate environment, according to the study based on a representative survey of 5,000 people.

       "Extremism and racism concern us all," said Lisa Paus, Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, at the presentation of the study, which marked the start of long-term monitoring of racism in Germany.

       Regardless of their own experience, 90 percent of people in Germany admitted that racism existed in the country. Eighty-one percent said people could behave "in racist ways" even if they did not intend to.

       In contrast, almost two out of three people in Germany externalized the problem of racism and perceived it only among right-wing extremists. According to the study, one third of the population considered people who complained about racism to be "oversensitive."

       "Racism is part of everyday life in Germany. It affects not only minorities, but the whole of society, directly or indirectly," said the director of the DeZIM institute Naika Foroutan. "The issue should therefore be addressed by policymakers offensively and in the long term."