STERN survey
Even FDP voters are in favor of “pension at 63”.
Those who retire early still have time to enjoy life – like seniors here on the beach on the Thai island of Koh Chang
© Nathaliex Jamois / Imago Images
The Germans don’t believe in abolishing the “pension at 63” at all. A large majority think it’s okay if you can retire after 45 years of insurance without any deductions. The attitude of the young generation is surprising.
The FDP has made pension policy a controversial topic in the traffic lights. Among other things, the early pension without deductions is to be abolished after 45 years of insurance. The aim is to save costs for the pension fund and, given the shortage of skilled workers, to provide incentives for a longer working life. The regulation is known under the slogan “pension at 63”, even though the age limit for those born in 1961 has now risen to 64 years and four months.
The “retirement at 63” option is also popular among younger people
An overwhelming majority of Germans don’t think much of the FDP’s proposal: 81 percent are against abolishing the tax-free pension after 45 years of insurance, only 17 percent are in favor. There are hardly any differences across the party’s supporters. 80 percent of Green voters, 78 percent of SPD voters and 73 percent of CDU/CSU voters are in favor of retention. Even FDP voters are of this opinion (79 percent). Support is greatest among supporters of the AfD (86 percent) and the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance (95 percent).
There are also hardly any differences in the age groups. Even among 18 to 29 year olds, 83 percent are in favor of leaving the regulation untouched. So respect for 45 years of work seems to prevail rather than concern about the situation of the pension fund in the future. Only the self-employed see the whole issue a little differently: 36 percent of them are in favor of abolishing it and only 55 percent are in favor of maintaining the pension without deductions after 45 years of insurance.
The data was collected by the market and opinion research institute forsa for stern and RTL Deutschland on May 15 and 16, 2024. Database: 1002 respondents. Statistical margin of error: +/- 3 percentage points