Chart of the week, 2025-KW42
16 October 2025
Result
Despite intense social debates about security, access controls, digital identity checks and new technologies, the need for personal freedom remains high. More than three quarters of German citizens are against excessive restrictions on individual freedom through security measures. The high level of approval is evident across all age groups and social milieus. This shows that The desire for autonomy and self-determination is deeply rooted in society - even in the area of tension between the need for protection and the demand for freedom.
Reasons
Many citizens already perceive everyday life as highly regulated and are experiencing an increase in surveillance in public and private spaces. Cameras at petrol stations, in shops or in public places, as well as digital applications for facial recognition or motion analysis, reinforce the feeling of being under constant surveillance. At the same time, there is growing concern about the misuse of personal data - for example in banking transactions, in the healthcare sector or in digital communication. In addition, trust in state institutions and commercial providers is dwindling if transparency is lacking or regulations are perceived as non-transparent. At the same time, there is a growing awareness of the importance of fundamental rights and the responsibility to actively protect them.
Forecast
The desire for freedom and personal integrity will remain a central social leitmotif in the future. Security measures always reach the limits of acceptance where they are perceived as disproportionate or opaque. Future security concepts must focus more on transparency, participation and voluntary involvement. Technological developments such as AI-supported systems, biometric procedures or comprehensive data analyses also require clear rules in order to create trust. Politics, business and civil society have a joint responsibility not only to safeguard civil liberties, but also to actively shape them in the digital age.
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