Leisure time
Topless in outdoor pools: Opinions differ further
In many places, bathing with bare breasts has always been theoretically possible, but rarely in practice. photo
© Soeren Stache/dpa
The debate about topless bathing for everyone is controversial. Ironically, the ongoing discussion tends to increase rejection among women, as a Yougov survey shows.
Going swimming with bare breasts – that’s pure freedom for some. For others it is a tiresome topic: Around 44 percent of According to a representative survey by the opinion research institute Yougov on behalf of the German Press Agency, women in Germany reject it when bathrooms allow “bare female upper bodies at certain times”. According to this, women’s rejection of freer rules in swimming pools has increased within twelve months (2022: 37 percent).
According to this survey, about one in five men (19 percent) still finds it uncomfortable (the answers “rather not good” and “not good at all” were added together). Around 31 percent of all adults are against it (previous year around 28 percent). On the other hand, 36 percent answered that they find the new topless rules “very good” or “rather good” (previous year 37 percent).
The rejection rate in the group of over 55-year-olds increased significantly – from 30 percent (2022) to 37 percent (2023). Since the city of Göttingen was the first to allow women to swim topless in the swimming pool on weekends in 2022, the topic has received a lot of attention. Several baths, especially in large cities, followed suit.
In many places, bathing with bare breasts has always been theoretically possible, but rarely in practice. Even if many thought that topless women were no longer a cause for excitement, the topic shows potential for division.
First and foremost, men like the possibly more frequent prospect of bare breasts. In response to the question “First baths allow naked upper bodies of women at certain times – what do you think of that?” In 2022, around 46 percent of the male respondents answered “very well” or “rather well”, in 2023 even 49 percent (women: 25 percent).