Opinion poll
People in East Germany are more worried
Destruction in Gaza City. 27 percent of the population in Germany consider Israel’s actions against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to be appropriate. photo
© Omar Ishaq/dpa
These are uncertain times – and the feeling of security is dwindling. But not to the same extent everywhere: “West and East Germany are currently drifting apart,” is one finding from a survey.
Wars, inflation and low confidence in the ability of those in power to act mean that the population in Germany currently feels less safe than in previous years. This is shown by the results of a representative study presented in Berlin Survey by the IfD Allensbach on behalf of the Center for Strategy and Higher Leadership.
There are sometimes big differences between East and West, for example when it comes to the assessment of Russia and the concern that they will not receive good care in the event of illness. “West and East Germany are currently drifting apart. This is a problem that receives far too little attention,” said the head of the opinion research institute, Renate Töpfer.
As the 2024 Security Report shows, 61 percent of the population currently feels safe overall. Two years earlier the proportion was 76 percent. The situation in the Middle East is now perceived as just as threatening as the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine that began in February 2022.
According to the information, 27 percent of the population in Germany consider Israel’s actions against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to be appropriate, 43 percent of those surveyed find the reaction to the terrorist attack on October 7th excessive, and 30 percent were undecided.
Worries about the future
According to the current edition of the security report, 68 percent of people in eastern Germany and 46 percent in the west feel a “general uncertainty about what will happen next.” People in the East are more worried than their compatriots in the West, among other things, about the influx of refugees to Europe and the development of energy costs. According to the study, 76 percent of people in East Germany and 44 percent in the West fear that Germany could be drawn into military conflicts.
According to the information, 89 percent of the population are calling for better protective measures against natural disasters, and 72 percent believe that more investments in the Bundeswehr’s equipment are necessary. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has announced a turning point in the Bundeswehr, “and the majority of citizens are wondering where and how it actually takes place,” said the founder of the Center for Strategy and Higher Leadership, Klaus Schweinsberg. The center is a private service provider that specializes in executive training.
For the representative study, 1,018 people aged 16 and over were surveyed from January 5th to January 18th.