"Full of hope into 2011!"
Current representative survey
Germans are starting the new year with optimism: four times more Germans are looking forward to this year with confidence (45%) than with fear (11%). This is the result of a recent representative survey conducted by the BAT Foundation for Future Studies, in which 1,000 people aged 14 and over expressed their expectations for 2011.
Confidence among the younger generation
Fear among low earners
When it comes to looking to the future with confidence, it seems that the worst is over. The young generation of under 34-year-olds in particular are optimistic about the new year (49%). Only 7 per cent say they are anxious about 2011. „The economic and financial crisis has hardly left any traces in Germany and even a possible ‚euro crisis’ has little influence on the mood in the country. Instead, the continuing positive economic situation and falling unemployment figures are causing Germans to be in high spirits at the start of the year,“ says Professor Dr Ulrich Reinhardt, the new Scientific Director of the BAT Foundation.
However, the fears of low-income earners (monthly net household income of less than EUR 1,000) give cause for concern. Among them, the proportion of optimists (26%) and pessimists (25%) is almost equal. In contrast, higher earners (monthly net household income over EUR 2,500) are hardly worried (8%) and the majority (53%) expect positive developments. „Money does indeed dispel many fears. Wealthy people increasingly see opportunities rather than risks when they think about the future. In contrast, low-income earners fear that they will continue to be among the losers in the future and will not be able to participate in the general upturn. The division in society threatens to continue and even worsen,“ says Reinhardt.
Trust in the economy
Loss of trust in politicians
The economic expectations of German citizens for 2011 are almost universally positive. Only 11 per cent expect a new financial crisis and only 19 per cent believe that the economic problems in Germany will increase. Germans' optimism is therefore also prevailing in the economic environment.
The situation is different when it comes to the public's opinion of politics: trust in political decision-makers has reached a new low. Not even one in fourteen Germans (7%) believe that German politicians are preparing the country well for the future. And 42 per cent are even of the opinion that politicians will continue to lose popular approval in 2011.
Reinhardt: „There is a great deal of trust in the economy. The positive development is almost universally attributed to those responsible in the economy and not the politicians. In contrast, there is great dissatisfaction with the current politicians across all sections of the population. Many citizens are turning away in disappointment or frustration and are withdrawing their trust in their representatives. This will lead to a high proportion of non-voters or even protest voters in upcoming elections.
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