If there is one thing that terrifies Germans, it is the fear of an empty wallet. For the third time in a row, fear of higher costs of living took first place in the annual R+V Insurance ranking, in which 2.4 thousand people were surveyed. Germans. Regardless of the fact that inflation continues to fall, companies offer inflation increases and collective bargaining agreements are favorable, Germans remain skeptical on this issue.
Fear stares Germans in the face, especially at the supermarket checkout. They then realize that the purchasing power in Germany is falling, which means that there are no longer as many products in the basket in the same priceas before. – This is a really deep-rooted concern in Germany – confirms the head of the R+V Insurance research team, Grischa Brower-Rabinowitsch, in an interview with DW.
Over the last 33 years in which this type of research has been conducted, fear of the rising cost of living has most often been at the top – 14 times in total. – As soon as prices rise, the level of fear increases again – sums up the researcher.
In 2024, Germans' overall mood even improved slightly, with anxiety rates dropping by 3 percent. Fear of rising costs of living dropped by up to 8%. compared to the previous year. This is a positive signal that the study organizers did not necessarily expect.
– We were really surprised that overall most people's concerns were decreasing – even in the light of many heated discussions in the media. It's not surprising that concerns about the economy are still very much alive. And – considering the great debate on immigration – it is not surprising that these two topics rank so high in the study, notes Brower-Rabinowitsch.
Migration and housing prices – this worries Germans
When it comes to migration, two fears were even at the top: in second place, the fear of refugees putting an excessive burden on the country, and in fourth place, fear of tensions caused by the influx of foreigners. However, even in these matters, current values ​​are well below the peak values ​​of 2016, i.e. the refugee crisis. An important detail today is that migration worries people in eastern Germany more than those in the west.
Third place was taken by the fear that apartments in Germany will become unaffordableeven though this topic is no longer in the media spotlight. – There were many demonstrations on this issue two or three years ago, but now they are gone because other issues are in the foreground. But in fact, people all over Germany are aware of this problem and pay special attention to it. Please try to look for an apartment in Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich or Düsseldorf and look at their prices, explains Grischa Brower-Rabinowisch.
The special role of the media
Next to the fear of price increases taxes or benefit cuts in fifth place and fears of a worsening economic situation in eighth place. Two other economic topics appear in the top ten. As follows from the latest data from the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook, Germany dropped to 21st place in the world in terms of GDP growth adjusted for purchasing power. Is the fear that the wallet will be empty at the end of the month and that migration will overwhelm Germany also fueled by the press?
Brower-Rabinowitsch has no illusions: – Of course, the media publishing extensive reports on various topics also influence people's fears. We have seen this time and time again over the 33 years we have conducted our study. At the same time, however, people react very sensitively to specific, real events, such as price increases or terrorist attacks, he explains.
This is why compared to the previous year, the fear of terrorism and political extremism increased the most. Germans are particularly terrified of Islamist terrorism, followed closely by right-wing extremism. However, numerous floods this year only slightly influenced the results of the study.
– In fact, fear of natural disasters dropped to 13th place and concern about climate change dropped to 15th place. People's attention is now focused elsewhere. In 2010, fear of natural disasters reached its peak and was 20 percentage points higher. higher – says the researcher.
They should also read the Germans' declarations of concerns German politiciansbecause they also occupy a high place in this ranking: almost half of the respondents are afraid that they will not meet the challenges. According to the authors of the study, this is a disastrous verdict: Every second person believes that politicians are no longer able to solve our problems, that they are beyond them. We also asked for school grades for them and the overall average for politicians is 3. Every third person gives them even 2 or 1. This is really disturbing, says Brower-Rabinowitsch.
The article comes from the website Deutsche Welle