Rising Living Costs Top German Worries in Long-Running Annual Survey

The rising cost of living ranks as the greatest fear among people in Germany, surpassing worries about international armed conflict, according to an annual study released by the R+V Insurance Info Center in Berlin.

The survey found that 52 percent of respondents expect prices for essential goods and services to keep climbing. Economic issues took several top spots in the national ranking.

Concerns that public authorities could become overburdened by migration ranked second, named by 49 percent of participants. Potential tax increases or cuts to social benefits tied for third place alongside housing costs, with 49 percent and 48 percent expressing concern.

The findings mark the 15th consecutive year that financial worries have placed at the top of the annual study. Longstanding concerns over household budgets have persisted through successive global events, including the coronavirus pandemic, energy shocks, and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Even with prominent economic anxieties, the study documented a broader decline in overall public apprehension. The composite Fear Index, which tracks the average of all measured worries, fell five percentage points to 37 percent. The level matched the index recorded during 2021.

Researchers noted that international political risks generated less anxiety than in previous cycles. Worry over the rise of authoritarian rulers worldwide registered at 47 percent. Meanwhile, 45 percent of respondents said actions by former U.S. President Donald Trump could make the world more dangerous, down from a peak of 69 percent reached in 2018.

The R+V Insurance Info Center has conducted the representative study annually since 1992 to measure political, economic, and social concerns across the German-speaking population. Sociologists and polling experts scheduled further briefings in Berlin to discuss how sustained cost-of-living worries influence consumer spending patterns into the next calendar year.