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Restrictions, financial concerns: life satisfaction in Germany fell during the Crown crisis. According to “Glücksatlas 2020”, women in particular were affected by the decline. But there are also bright spots in the study.
According to a survey, the Corona crisis affects people’s satisfaction with life in Germany. On a scale of zero to ten, respondents rated their overall satisfaction this year an average of 6.74 points, after the previous high of 7.14 points in 2019.
This stems from the new “Glücksatlas” from Deutsche Post. People’s satisfaction in West Germany fell by 0.42 points and therefore more than in East Germany (minus 0.30). According to the study, women lost significantly more satisfaction with minus 0.47 points than men (minus 0.33 points). People aged 45 to 59 were the most affected by the decline, with 0.48 points less.
Closed schools are a big problem
Therefore, satisfaction with health changed little. There were also hardly any changes in family satisfaction compared to the previous year, although families with three or more children are particularly affected (minus 0.9 points). As a result of short-term work and the home office, 32.2 percent of those surveyed said their job satisfaction tended to decline during this time.
During the closure of public life in the spring, satisfaction dropped “considerably”, said Freiburg financial scientist Bernd Raffelhüschen. This was particularly evident in large families and families with older children living at home. The closure of schools and kindergartens was the “fall pill” for these groups.
With the relaxation of the crown measures, life satisfaction improved again towards the summer. Raffelhüschen expects a similar development for the current “blocking light” and the upcoming Christmas party: At the moment, satisfaction is probably decreasing again, the expert said, but it will also increase again. “Courage and confidence instead of panic and hysteria” are important.
North Germans are still the most satisfied
Even in the days of Corona, the far north will remain the happiest region in 2020. Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg (both 6.92 points) share first place ahead of Baden-Württemberg (6.88), with Thuringia in the rear this time (6.5). The gap between the region with the most satisfied citizens and the region with the most dissatisfied citizens has narrowed further.
Therefore, the current value is the lowest since 2006. However, the decline is moderate, said Thomas Ogilvie, director of Human Resources at Deutsche Post DHL Group. Despite the crown-related cuts, 45 percent of those surveyed were optimistic that they would be as satisfied again in the next year as they were before the pandemic. 80 percent were happy to live in a country like Germany during the Corona crisis. According to Ogilvie, a high level of political and economic stability, as well as social and health security, but also factors such as creativity contribute to this. Half of the respondents also described the impression that the population had moved closer during the crisis.
Sustainable consumption is important for satisfaction
The special theme of this year’s study was sustainable living. Two-thirds (65 percent) of those surveyed described climate change as more dangerous in the long term than the coronavirus. Seventy percent expressed hope that the pandemic could be a “driver” of a more sustainable economic system. Sustainable lifestyles also have an impact on satisfaction, he said: 48 percent of those who shop in an environmentally conscious way are very satisfied; for the “easy going,” only 29 percent.
For the study on behalf of Deutsche Post, which was compiled for the tenth time, the Institute of Democopy in Allensbach surveyed nearly 4,700 German citizens aged 16 and over from March to June, that is, during the first Corona lockdown.
