Shifts in the fears of the Germans

Less fear of illness and war, more afraid of the euro debt crisis

08/09/2012

The fears in the population are subject to significant changes from year to year. In most cases, they also reflect worldwide developments and incidents. Fear of war, terrorist attacks, economic crises, diseases and natural disasters - a wide range of fears will be in the long-term study „The fears of the Germans“ covered by R + V Versicherung.

According to the study in the course of last year, the euro debt crisis has become the biggest scare maker. It replaced war and illness as the most frequent trigger of anxiety. All in all, however, the study shows a gratifying development. The so-called fear index, so the fear of the Germans as a whole, has dropped significantly and reached its lowest level in almost two decades. The fears of job loss, illness and crime were also at a record low last year, according to the study presented on Thursday in Berlin.

Fear of economic crises and rising cost of living
As part of the representative investigation „The fears of the Germans“ R + V Versicherung has been asking around 2,500 citizens about their fears for more than 20 years. The biggest concern for respondents in this year's survey was the economy. The fear of rising cost of living is again at the top of the list with 63%, report the authors of the study. A total of 13 times in the past 20 years, this was number one in the fears of the Germans. The experts see this fear as closely related to the euro debt crisis. The same applies to the fear of a collapsing economy, which has risen by four percent and shared by 52 percent of the population. Worries about policy failures are also at least indirectly related to the euro debt crisis. „For years, the majority of Germans doubt that the people's representatives are up to their tasks. At 55 percent, the fear of overburdening politicians this year ranks second“, according to R + V Versicherung's statement on the current study.

Falling fear of a job loss
In a special survey, it became clear that the euro debt crisis is currently by far the biggest fear maker. „Almost three-quarters of Germans (73 percent) fear that they will have to pay the bill for the euro debt crisis. Faced with this threat, all other worries fade into the background“, explained Rita Jakli, head of the information center of R + V Versicherung. Although confidence in the economic development is dwindling, the fear of losing one's job has declined by four percentage points compared to the previous year, reaching a record low. Only in 1994 was this worry ever so low, the authors report. Today, on average, only about one third of Germans (32 percent) are plagued by the fear of losing their job. Manfred G. Schmidt from the University of Heidelberg, adviser to the R + V Infocenter, explained that the sinking fear of a job loss is due to the currently comparatively low unemployment rate of less than seven percent. On the other hand, almost every third person is still afraid of losing their job, which makes it clear, „that the risk of becoming unemployed is concentrated only on a part of the workforce, such as the lower skilled“, according to Prof. Schmidt. According to the authors of the study, it was striking that only for the second time since the study was published did the fear of losing a job attract more women than men.

Fear of long-term care in women higher
The fear of becoming a nursing case has been expressed by 50 percent of respondents. However, despite steadily rising nursing numbers, there is no increase in fears of long-term care needs, the study authors report. However, at least half of the respondents feared, „later to be a burden for others as a care case.“ Here are the most significant gender differences observed. 55 percent of all women were afraid of the need for care, with the men it was ten percent less. Diminishing fears were the researchers in the field of terrorism and war (each minus eleven percentage points), natural disasters (minus eight percent) as well as the fear of becoming a victim of a crime (minus six percent), fixed. The study also reports a significant decline in fears of a nuclear catastrophe that has fallen by five percentage points. According to Prof. Schmidt play here „certainly two major events“ a significant role. „In 2012, unlike last year, there was no Fukushima. And the nuclear phase-out, which the black-and-yellow coalition has decided on and implemented in 2011, alleviates the nuclear fears“, explained the political scientist.

In addition, the results of the Angst study show a waning fear of the population that their own children are addicted to drugs or alcohol (minus four percent), a sinking fear of the failure of their own partnership (minus two percent) - despite rising divorce rates - and the lowest value for two decades in the fear of a serious illness. According to the latest figures, the Germans are clearly more fearless about the future than they were a year ago. (Fp)

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