BAT study on German club life

More than half of all Germans (57 %) are members of at least one, and on average even two, clubs and associations. This was determined by the BAT Leisure Research Institute in a recent representative survey. For the first time, this new study compared club membership in the former East and West Germany. It shows that even 40 years of separate development could not prevent the shared experience of club life – often described as a typically German characteristic.

At 55 percent, club membership in East Germany is currently almost as high as in West Germany (58 percent). This applies to women (East: 48 percent, West: 49 percent) as well as to men (63 percent and 68 percent, respectively), who are generally more strongly represented in almost all clubs. Only church and charitable organizations are an exception in both parts of Germany.

Sports in the west, allotment gardens in the east

However, the landscape of clubs and associations in East and West Germany exhibits significant structural differences. The proportion of West Germans in sports clubs is twice as high (26) as in East Germany (13). Traditional singing, shooting, and hiking clubs are also now predominantly western German.

And while one in ten Germans in the former West Germany belongs to a bowling club, the figure is just two percent in the former East Germany. The situation is exactly the opposite for allotment garden associations (East: 10, West: 2), which have retained their special status as leisure facilities in East Germany.

In addition to analyzing leisure-oriented clubs and associations, the BAT survey also provides insights into membership in political and professional organizations. While 17 percent of respondents in East Germany identified themselves as union members, the figure was only eight percent in West Germany. The proportion of unionized working women is particularly high, almost three times as high in the former East Germany (East: 21 percent, West: 8 percent). In contrast, there is broad agreement regarding party membership: only four percent of West Germans and just three percent of East Germans stated that they belonged to a party, with half (West: 59 percent, East: 52 percent) also identifying as passive members.

Club fatigue in West Germany?

The BAT study shows that in the former West Germany – for which comparative data is available – memberships have declined by a total of four percentage points since 1990, when 62 percent of respondents were members of clubs. This means that West German clubs have lost approximately two million members during this period. This trend particularly affects sports clubs with large memberships (1990: 29, 1993: 26), which are especially hard hit by competition from commercial providers. Private fitness centers and gyms not only encourage individual spontaneity but also generally reduce the willingness to commit to a club.

„The trend toward the commercialization of leisure time in the West can lead to a decline in solidarity in everyday life,“ says Professor Opaschowski, head of the BAT Institute, „because paid services make people forget about personal service, and traditional club life is increasingly losing its significance.“ Purely utilitarian considerations push the promotion of community life and social responsibility into the background. More and more people are enjoying the new freedoms of individualistic leisure consumption: being able to do anything, but not having to do anything.

This trend seems to affect all types of clubs and associations. The BAT survey shows declines specifically for organizations that prioritize community life or social responsibility. This applies to singing and shooting clubs as well as church associations and volunteer fire departments.

East Germans more active in the club

The percentage of members actively participating in club life is generally significantly higher in the former East Germany. For example, 81 percent of sports club members describe themselves as active (West: 70 percent). In the volunteer fire department, the figure is 82 percent (West: 40 percent), and in singing clubs it is as high as 88 percent (West: 64 percent).

Furthermore, there is a significantly higher willingness to take on voluntary roles. For example, in East German sports clubs, twelve percent of all members have assumed an official position, while in West Germany it is only seven percent. The reluctance to take on voluntary roles is clearly a typical symptom of affluence. Because West German clubs are increasingly transforming into service organizations, the sense of obligation or necessity for voluntary participation diminishes. In the East, the club "benefits" the citizens more, while in the West, the club is more often "used.".

Technical data of the survey

Number of respondents: 2,600 people
Representation: Germany as a whole, population aged 14 and over
Survey period: March 5th to 15th, 1993
210 interviewers were deployed for the survey.