Currently, more than eight out of ten German citizens are convinced that they see, hear or read predominantly negative headlines in the news. There is widespread agreement within the population and gender, place of residence, income or educational background do not play a role.

Almost half of all Germans watch YouTube videos at least once a week. This is a particularly popular pastime for men (551,000 compared to 381,000 women). Looking at different life stages, young adults (741,000) are the most frequent users. In middle age, about half of all Germans are users, with singles and couples being more active on YouTube than parents.

Despite numerous unresolved problems, the personal goals of German citizens for the coming year are characterized by a high degree of individual optimism. In addition to having more time for themselves and others, almost three out of four Germans intend to think and act more calmly and optimistically. On this point, the population is united – regardless of gender, age, place of residence, or income.

Many things are traditional at Christmas: presents under the Christmas tree, singing and eating together, family celebrations and church services - although fewer and fewer people in Germany are attending the latter. Currently, only one in four Germans go to church at least once a year, compared to almost two in five before coronavirus. Within the population, parents and young adults in particular are making their way to church, but fewer young seniors and pensioners.

A Google search for "Optimize your life" yields approximately 35 million results. These range from nutrition and career advice to dating and training tips, as well as topics like time management and mindfulness. More than two-thirds of respondents view the increasing focus on life optimization negatively. Women, like older Germans, express above-average criticism in this regard.

One in three Germans feels stressed by Christmas gift shopping. Gender, income, or city size hardly play a role, but life stage does. Young adults, parents, and couples in particular report finding browsing the high streets or searching for gifts online exhausting. This is significantly less common among retirees and young seniors.

More and more German citizens are stating that they also work in their free time. Whereas in 2015 not even one in ten people worked part-time, today it is already almost one in four. This applies most frequently to young adults (32%), with the number of middle-aged people with multiple jobs (22%) experiencing a particularly rapid increase in the last decade. However, almost one in six pensioners or retirees still work in their retirement.

Almost every second German citizen is currently regularly active (at least once a week). In 2010, not even one in three could claim this. In addition to traditional sports in clubs and individual leisure activities such as cycling, jogging or going to the gym, more than one in four people are dedicated to physical fitness at home. Corona was like a booster for sport. More available time due to working from home and fewer (leisure) alternatives due to the nationwide lockdowns led to a renaissance in sport, which is still continuing.

For the first time in over 20 years, German citizens' trust in each other has declined significantly. Whereas before the outbreak of the pandemic, three out of five Germans were still convinced that they could trust their fellow citizens, less than half of them now share this view. Agreement is particularly low among middle-aged people, with only around one in three of them agreeing with this statement.

The result of climate change, pandemic, war – many citizens feel increasingly trapped in a cycle of [...]