Most Germans, according to a survey, think that society is divided on a variety of problems. Only 17% of respondents think there is a widespread consensus. The Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy conducted a representative survey on behalf of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” and the findings are shown here. The influenza pandemic, immigration, and support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia were all deemed to be very contentious issues by the respondents (78 percent, 65 percent, and 56 percent, respectively).
The subjects of church (28%) and abortion (27%) are deemed to be less contentious than gender-sensitive language (39%) and gender-neutral language (28%) respectively.
How many people, in Allensbach’s perspective, believe that representatives of various viewpoints are inherently incompatible with one another, is what ultimately determines the stability of a democracy. In East Germany, 57 percent of people are persuaded, compared to 49 percent overall.
However, fewer East Germans than West Germans believe they live in a tolerant society; only 9% of East Germans believe this to be the case, compared to 26% of West Germans. In just under a decade, the percentage of the circle that finds it challenging to be friends with someone who disagrees increased from 29% to 42%.
According to the data, controversy more often affects society’s perception than people’s individual experiences. The majority is convinced that most people in Germany think similarly to them, despite the fact that only a small minority believes that there is a broad consensus on many subjects. Only those who support the AfD and a small portion on the left perceive themselves as foreigners and a minority.
In West and East Germany, there are different perspectives on the Ukraine War.
People in East and West Germany have quite diverse opinions about the Ukraine war. This was assessed by the Forsa opinion institute in numerous war-related concerns. According to the Institute, recent studies on the Ukraine war and its effects have revealed a divide between East and West German perspectives that hasn’t typically been seen—not even while discussing the corona virus.
Significantly more respondents in eastern Germany than in western Germany believe that the federal government is supporting Ukraine “too much” rather than “too little” (34 percent). In western Germany, only around one in five people share this opinion (18 percent).
The debate over arms deliveries is by far where East and West diverge the most. While a majority of West Germans (between 54 and 61 percent) have supported Germany’s delivery of heavy weapons in all polls conducted since the beginning of May, Forsa claims that only a minority of East Germans support the federal government’s decision to provide such weapons to Ukraine (32 percent on average)
While the difference between East and West is already 16 percentage points on average for those who believe that Germany’s overall commitment to Ukraine is exaggerated, the difference between East and West is even 26 percentage points on average for those who support armament delivery.