opinion poll
Dissatisfaction in the country with local traffic cycles
A bus stop on Bundesstraße 115 in Dernitz, Saxony. Photo: Sebastian Kahnert / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The equivalence of living conditions in rural areas is a major goal – and is demonstrated in many small everyday things. There is some room for improvement, and not just when it comes to the fast Internet.
According to a survey, there is still more dissatisfaction in rural areas than in metropolitan areas, especially when it comes to buses and trains, internet and mobile communications.
Overall, 71 percent of German citizens consider rural regions to be attractive places to live – in very rural areas even 81 percent, as the survey on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture showed. It is available to the German Press Agency. However, only 47 percent of those surveyed consider the country to be an attractive place to work, regardless of where they live.
When it comes to mobility, the car continues to dominate in rural areas. More than 80 percent stated that they normally use combustion cars, motorcycles or mopeds. Buses and trains use 52 percent in more rural regions, 42 percent in very rural regions, but 71 percent in metropolitan areas. In the countryside there is therefore more dissatisfaction with the offer. In very rural regions, 32 percent find the frequency of buses and trains to be very good or good – in urban areas 65 percent. When it comes to the accessibility of the stops, the figure is 60 percent in very rural regions and 82 percent in metropolitan areas.
According to the survey, 61 percent of those questioned in very rural regions find the Internet supply at home to be very good or good, in more rural regions it is 66 percent, in metropolitan areas 68 percent. When it comes to cell phone reception, the good ratings range from 63 percent in very rural regions to 73 percent in metropolitan areas.
According to the information, the polling institute Info interviewed 2594 people aged 16 and over by telephone and online from June 22 to July 7 for the survey. A more precise distinction was also made according to “rurality”, for example according to settlement density and proportion of agricultural land.
According to the survey, 81 percent in very rural regions rate the accessibility of shopping opportunities for daily needs as good, and 88 percent in more rural regions. For the general practitioner, it is 73 percent in very rural areas and 77 percent in more rural areas. In primary schools, a total of 76 percent of German citizens find the care good, in rural areas even a little more than in metropolitan areas.
The managing minister Julia Klöckner affirmed the goal of equal living conditions. “City and country at eye level – that’s what it’s all about,” said the CDU politician of the dpa. The rural regions are not the “sick man” of Germany, but in many places power centers and home to innovations. A connection to fast internet is often a prerequisite for more workplaces. The federal government recently made 1.1 billion euros available for this. The Ministry of Agriculture also funds around 2000 projects through a rural development program.