New polls suggest a majority of Germans fear refugees following the New Year's Cologne attacks

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The survey also revealed many now doubt the country's ability to cope with the one million plus migrants who have arrived since last year.

Public broadcaster ZDF carried out a survey which found 60 percent of respondents believing Germany cannot cope with those who have arrived so far - up 14 percent since a similar survey early in December before the Cologne outrages.

On the last day of the year rampaging mobs of refugees assaulted over 500 women in and around Cologne railway station, sexually molesting and robbing them while police stood helplessly by.

It was a disastrous torpedo to the heart of Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy to refugees and her popularity: the ZDF poll also showed that 56 percent of the people it quizzed are now dissatisfied with her refugee policies, a seven percent leap from the samde poll in December.