Living in a class society – dreaming of a social society
The population takes stock: German citizens say what kind of society they want to live in in the future.

Sixty years of the Federal Republic of Germany: A reason to celebrate, but also an occasion for reflection and looking ahead. What has Germany achieved so far? And what's next? Ludwig Erhard's programmatic demand from 1957, "Prosperity for all," must be expanded half a century later to "Social prosperity for all." In times of growing social risks, prosperity can no longer be merely a question of money and goods. Beyond the material understanding of a high standard of living, the expanded concept of prosperity must also include the social quality of life and life satisfaction of the population. Only slightly less than a third of Germans (311,300) believe they still live in a prosperous society today. More than twice as many (661,300) however, desire a better future.
„A "social society" in which the state protects its citizens from hardship, poverty, and unemployment, provides social security, and enables everyone to make individual provisions for their future. This is the conclusion of a recent representative survey conducted by the Foundation for Future Issues, in which 2,000 people aged 14 and over were asked how they live today and what kind of society they want to live in tomorrow.

„Germans still want a secure income and to be able to live without worries or fear for the future,“ says Prof. Dr. Horst W. Opaschowski, Scientific Director of the Future Foundation. „They expect the state to fulfill its security promises and hope for greater social justice.“ But this is precisely where the population’s concerns begin. Only three percent of Germans believe they live in a civil society where freedom, equality, and security are guaranteed and can be practiced. However, according to the population, a much higher percentage (39%) and more realistic assessment of the Federal Republic’s situation is that of a class society in which the wealth gap is widening and the social divide between rich and poor is growing ever larger.

Professor Opaschowski: „Social tensions threaten if a deep divide continues to run through Germany. Rural residents, in particular, feel disadvantaged because basic services, from local transport to medical care, are no longer guaranteed. And East Germans, too, feel marginalized – twenty years after reunification – because jobs and prosperity are increasingly migrating to the West.“ Politically programmatic guiding principles such as civil society (5%) and the knowledge society (9%) have so far failed to materialize in the reality of the Federal Republic for the vast majority of the population.

What unites people in Germany across all professional, social, and age groups, however, is the concept of achievement. 38 percent of German citizens identify with the meritocracy, especially the middle generation of 30- to 49-year-olds (40%). Opaschowski: „The meritocracy is alive and well. For many, it creates the very conditions for a fulfilling life – even beyond work and employment.“ Because only a few German citizens still believe that the Federal Republic resembles a work-based society (16%). Globalization and changing values have fundamentally altered socio-political paradigms in Germany in recent decades. Now, citizens desire social structures that are both livable and sustainable.

This is how Germans want to live tomorrow!
Taking responsibility for future generations

If the wishes of the population are respected, then the future of the Federal Republic belongs to a social society (66%), a generational society (56%), and a welfare society (52%). „In the triple safeguard of life

• The state should protect its citizens from social hardship,
• The generations must stick together and be there for each other.,
• “People want to help themselves more by pragmatically forming reciprocal communities,” said Professor Opaschowski.

„"In doing so, they lose a degree of personal freedom and independence, but gain sufficient security and social stability." This positive vision of the population is value- and goal-oriented. It should guide and direct policy. Only in this way can social stability be ensured for the future.

It is remarkable that the desire for a mutually supportive society is just as strong among West Germans as it is among East Germans (52% in both cases). Out of necessity, out of their mutual dependence, they develop the shared virtue of helping one another. With increasing age, the willingness to "not live at the expense of future generations" also grows (up to 34 years: 46% – 35 to 54 years: 55% – 55 years and over: 64%). Opaschowski: "The older generations take their responsibility seriously. They demonstrably save for the younger generation. And the much-discussed generational war is not taking place."„

Live well instead of having a lot.
Life in a feel-good society

With the changing future orientations of Germans, the societal models of the 1970s to 1990s are losing their dominance. Only about one in five Germans now considers the consumer society (21%) or the experience society (21%) to be viable and desirable for the future. Significantly more citizens are setting modest goals and are more content with a "well-being society" (39%) in which "living well instead of having a lot" is possible and not just intense experiences and enjoyment are demanded.

Of course, individual well-being is impossible without a minimum standard of material prosperity, which is why economic growth is generally indispensable. On the other hand, money and goods are no longer the only valuable currency in life. The broader understanding of prosperity inevitably includes subjective well-being. In the future, prosperity for Germans could also mean owning fewer possessions and yet living better.

Respondents' answer options

I live/want to live in a …

• Working society, where I can work and earn money, even if it is sometimes difficult
  
• Educational Society, in which education is a civil right for all and everyone can educate themselves and develop personally well into old age
  
• Civil society, in which citizens and citizen initiatives can actively participate and engage in social life
  
• Experience society, in which I can experience and enjoy my life intensely
  
• Leisure society, in which I get something out of life and only work as much as is necessary
  
• Generational society, in which old and young live together without conflict and in which today's generations do not live at the expense of future generations and incur debt
  
• Aid Society, in which people help and support each other more again
  
• industrial society, in which industry and technological progress provide growth and material prosperity
  
• Information society, where I can conveniently and quickly obtain and exchange information at any time and in any place
  
• class society, in which there is a broad middle class, but also an upper and lower class.
  
• Consumer society, where I can buy and use new things more often and make a good life for myself
  
• Meritocracy, in which I can do and achieve what is meaningful and fun
  
• Multicultural society with people of different backgrounds
  
• Multi-option company, where I can choose from many options and design my life individually
  
• Social society, in which the state protects me from hardship, poverty and unemployment and provides me with social security
  
• Responsible Society, in which trust, responsibility and reliability ensure the cohesion of society
  
• Knowledge society, in which I can accumulate knowledge throughout my life and contribute to social and technological progress
  
• feel-good society, in which living well is possible for me instead of having a lot
  
• Affluent society, in which prosperity is guaranteed for all
  
• Civil society, in which freedom, equality and security can be guaranteed and lived