Chronological coverage updated 1st October 2026 10:46.
Update 1 · 1st October 2026
Rising Cost of Living Tops German Concerns as Public Anxiety Over War and Global Geopolitics Recedes
Germans are demonstrating heightened political engagement and debating key national policies following high voter turnouts in state elections across Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Despite active debates over immigration reform, healthcare, pensions, and democratic institutions, financial pressures remain the primary source of public anxiety.
The annual 'Germans' Fears' study, conducted by insurer R+V between early May and late July, surveyed approximately 2,400 German-speaking citizens aged 14 and older. The findings show that economic worries dominate the public consciousness, continuing a multi-decade trend observed since the survey began in the early 1990s.
59% of surveyed German citizens cited the rising cost of living as their top fear, an increase from 52% recorded the previous year..
Dw reportedly quoted Isabelle Borucki (political scientist from Marburg and study consultant) as saying: “The price of key items — energy, housing and food — has risen noticeably. This reduces the financial leeway for leisure, vacations and purchases. People can afford less and less.”.
Fiscal Strain and Social Security Systems
Public awareness of strain within Germany's social security framework is growing. Both the state pension fund and the long-term care insurance system face chronic budget deficits, leading citizens to anticipate future tax hikes or cuts to state benefits.
Dw reportedly quoted Isabelle Borucki (political scientist from Marburg and study consultant) as saying: “Behind the fear of higher taxes and benefit cuts lies the question of fairness, with people wondering who will bear the costs of modernization,”.
Receding Geopolitical Anxieties and Political Disillusionment
In contrast to domestic financial anxieties, fears surrounding international conflicts and global politics have receded. While 52% of respondents fear that refugee arrivals could overwhelm the state, anxiety regarding external military threats and foreign political leadership has waned.
45% of respondents fear that US President Donald Trump's policies are making the world more dangerous, down from 69% in 2018..
Dw reportedly quoted Grischa Brower-Rabinowitsch (study researcher) as saying: “After years of constant geopolitical alarm bells, people are starting to get used to it,”.
Similarly, fear of a war involving Germany dropped to 34% from 41% last year, while concern over job security reached its lowest level since 1992, with only 20% of employed respondents fearing job loss. However, public confidence in political leadership remains low. Survey respondents gave federal politicians an average mark of 4.1 under the German six-point school grading scale.
- The cost of living remains the top concern for 59% of German citizens, driven by rising prices in energy, housing, and food.
- Anxiety regarding international conflicts and foreign leadership has decreased, with only 34% fearing a war involving Germany and 45% fearing Trump's policies.
- German politicians received a sub-par average grade of 4.1 from respondents, reflecting disappointment in the CDU-SPD coalition government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
