What are Germans most afraid of? The annual survey “The Fears of the Germans” investigated this question. First and foremost, concerns about rising prices remain.
In times of crises such as war, the climate crisis and a lack of living space, it is primarily the fear of rising prices that worries Germans. This emerges from the annual survey “The Fears of Germans”. R+V insurance has published the results.
“People are looking at current developments with skepticism. High collective agreements, inflation bonuses and noticeably slower rising prices have not been able to allay the Germans’ worries,” said study director Grischa Brower-Rabinowitsch.
Concern about money has nevertheless decreased
According to the survey, fear of rising prices remains the top priority, as 57 percent of those surveyed said. Last year it was 65 percent of respondents, significantly more. Concern about expensive living space decreased similarly, with 52 percent of those surveyed sharing this concern. This puts another financial worry in third place in the ranking.
Concern about rising prices remains in first place for the third year in a row – despite falling inflation. Compared to the previous year, it has fallen from almost four percent to less than two percent. “A look at our long-term statistics shows that when it comes to their own wallets, Germans react sensitively,” stated Brower-Rabinowitsch.
Fear of being overwhelmed by migration
The publicly heated debate about migration policy is also reflected in the survey. More than half of those surveyed feared that society and authorities would not be able to cope with the number of refugees. 51 percent even stated that immigration from abroad could lead to tensions in society.
“Fundamental problems with immigration and integration have not been addressed for a long time. There is an urgent need for politics here,” said Marburg political scientist Isabelle Borucki, who accompanied the study. “Especially in the East, there is a feeling in parts of society that they are being treated unequally and unfairly. The stranger, the refugees and their immigration are perceived as a threat.”
According to the EU Asylum Agency, asylum applications have fallen by around a quarter this year compared to 2023. Germany also recorded a 20 percent decline in applications in the first half of the year compared to 2023.
Strongest increase in extremism
Almost every second person feared that politicians would be overwhelmed by their tasks – this worry took sixth place in the ranking. The fear of political extremism has increased the most.
In 2023, only 38 percent of those surveyed were worried about it; now the number has risen to 46 percent. Most people were afraid of Islamist terror, followed by right-wing extremism. Only seven percent said they were afraid of left-wing extremism.
Climate crisis not a threat?
In contrast, Germans are relatively relaxed about issues such as unemployment: Fear of losing one’s job took last place at 22 percent. “That’s good news. People have never been less afraid of their own jobs in the history of the study,” says Brower-Rabinowitsch.
Despite droughts and floods in three areas in Germany, fear of natural disasters and climate change only take 13th and 15th place in the ranking. At 46 and 43 percent, fear in the West is higher than in the East, where only 38 and 37 percent of respondents were worried about natural disasters and climate change.
Survey for more than 30 years
R+V insurance is one of the largest insurance companies in Germany. The insurance company has been commissioning the survey “The Fears of Germans” for 32 years. For this year’s study, pollsters from the R+V Infocenter surveyed 2,400 people aged 14 and over in personal interviews between June and August 2024.