Status: 08.11.2022 12:50 p.m
Corona, war, inflation: the crises of the past few months are a burden on Germans. According to “Glücksatlas”, their satisfaction has increased in comparison – but there is still room for improvement. One generation in particular is dissatisfied.
The life satisfaction of Germans has increased somewhat after the end of most corona measures – but fears of war and inflation continue to slow down their happiness. That goes from the “Atlas of Fortune” created by the University of Freiburg with the support of the Süddeutsche Klassenlotterie (SKL). On the way to the pre-corona level, the country got stuck halfway, said the Freiburg economist and head of the “Happiness Atlas”, Bernd Raffelhüschen.
Inflation weighs on Germans
The data for the “Happiness Atlas 2022” comes from a total of eleven surveys from January to October 2022 of a total of 11,450 representatively selected people aged 16 and over. Raffelhüschen described the factors health, community, money and genetic disposition, i.e. mentality, as the “4G” of happiness research
On average, people gave their life satisfaction at 6.68 on a scale of 0 to 10. Last year this value was lower at 6.58, before the 2019 pandemic it was significantly higher at 7.14. Above all, inflation and the consequences of the war had a negative effect on the satisfaction of the Germans. “In September, inflation broke the 10 percent mark. If it stays that high until December 2022, the total loss of happiness from this year’s inflation should amount to 0.46 points,” the statement said. “That is much.”
The number of unhappy people – i.e. those who gave a value between 0 and 4 – doubled during the pandemic. This year, their share has fallen again, but not yet to the pre-pandemic level. Behind the “abstract numbers lie breaks in the biography caused by the pandemic”: job losses, illnesses and the loss of people. “It is therefore important that the recovery process continues.”
Younger people are slow to recover from the pandemic
But there is also good news: According to the Glücksatlas, many groups that have suffered particularly badly from the Corona measures have been able to improve their life satisfaction again. “Women have almost closed the lucky gap to men that opened up during Corona,” it said. Satisfaction with leisure time has also improved enormously: from 5.0 in the Corona year 2021 to 6.51 in the current happiness atlas. But there is still room for improvement here: “Although there are almost no restrictions and fitness clubs are open again and leisure activities are possible, the old level has not yet been reached.”
Young people have recovered the least from the restrictions of the corona pandemic. The generation born between 1995 and 2010 lost one point on the life satisfaction scale during the pandemic and has only made up about half so far.
Families clearly caught up in their level of satisfaction, which at 7.42 points are also above the general average. As a result of the closure of daycare centers and schools, satisfaction in the families fell to 7.17 points in 2021. However, the current value is well below the eight points that were measured for families before Corona.
People in West Germany are happier
On average, people in western Germany are a little happier than people in eastern Germany. During the pandemic, the difference in happiness between East and West has almost disappeared, it said. But recently it has grown again. “The disadvantages that the west had during the pandemic will no longer play a role in 2022: high proportions of younger people, families, city dwellers and the self-employed usually guarantee a higher level of happiness in a region.”
And where do the happiest people in Germany live? According to “Glücksatlas” in Schleswig-Holstein – followed by Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. The people in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are the least satisfied.