Citizens want more moments of pleasure

Result

Almost three quarters of all German citizens currently want more moments of pleasure in their lives - in 2017, this only applied to half of all citizens. The German population is almost unanimous on this point - both now and then: there are no significant differences between the sexes or between the different income brackets and places of residence.

Reasons

First the pandemic and then the war in Ukraine - both have led to numerous changes in the everyday lives of German citizens (e.g. higher consumer prices, rising energy costs and, previously, restrictions on going out, school closures and travel bans). These involuntary restrictions are also accompanied by restrictions in the private sphere caused by time pressure, stress, pressure to make decisions and discipline, as well as a society that stands in the way of a positive public perception of enjoyment through regulations and moralisation. All these developments stand in contrast to the desire of many citizens for more individual moments of pleasure.

Forecast

Time will probably be the most important factor for the perception of enjoyment in the future. More and more people are realising that self-determination over the use of their own free time does not mean doing or enjoying more and more at ever shorter intervals, but rather viewing free time itself as a pleasure. For an increasing proportion of the population, the zenith of the fast pace of life has been reached and the longing for alternatives is becoming ever more apparent.
There is a multi-layered potential in pleasurable leisure to make this longing a reality: Time for a cup of coffee, as opposed to coffee to go. Time to absorb new stimuli, as opposed to quickly "ticking off" as many impressions as possible. Time for relaxation, as opposed to regeneration in order to achieve new things. Time for friends and socialising, as opposed to isolation and anonymisation in the crowd, or simply time to enjoy life.