The Economy was seen as the most important issue facing Germany as of June 2025, selected by 20 percent of people as a problem that month. Immigration was seen by 18 percent of people in Germany as a major issue, and was the second most-common response in the most recent survey. Germany's economic struggles Once the economic powerhouse of Europe, the Germany economy has been struggling for several years, and even shrank in 2023 and 2024. In part, this is due to external factors, such as the War in Ukraine putting an end to Germany's supply of cheap Russian gas, and a more protectionist global trade environment harming Germany's export-driven businesses. On the other hand, there has been a chronic lack of investment in the country, in part due to fiscal restraints built into the German constitution. Collapse of the traffic light coalition The issue of removing these fiscal restraints, in particular the "debt-brake", was the eventual reason that brought down the government of Olaf Scholz in late 2024. In power since the 2021 election, Scholz's government consisted of three political parties, Scholz's own SPD, the German Greens, and the pro-businesses FDP. The contradictions inherent in a three-party coalition eventually rose to the surface in late 2024, when the FDP leadership split with the government over economic policy, causing the collapse of the government. All three parties saw their vote share decline considerably, in the subsequent election in February 2025, with the FDP unable to clear the five percent threshold required to win seats in parliament.

In a 2024 survey on the most pressing issues in German politics, around 26 percent of respondents named immigration and dealing with refugees as one of the most relevant issues, that German society and politics were facing at the moment. Around 21 percent of people said it was the war in Ukraine and relations with Russia, making it the second most pressing issue, followed by the economy in third place.

In 2022, around ** percent of 18 to 24-year-olds in Germany saw climate change as the biggest challenge facing their generation. ** percent thought affordable housing and financial security were the leading issues.

Graph and download economic data for Outstanding Total International Debt Securities to GDP for Germany (DDDM07DEA156NWDB) from 1980 to 2020 about issues, Germany, debt, and GDP.

Graph and download economic data for Net Issues of International Debt Securities for All Issuers, All Maturities, Nationality of Issuer in Germany (IDSGAMNINIDE) from Q1 1968 to Q1 2025 about issues, Germany, maturity, debt, securities, and Net.

Replication Material for: "Politicization of redistributive policies and political behavior of the poor in German elections"

Judgement on the economic situation of the country and expected development of the economic situation. Attitude to market economic questions. Attitude to the common European currency. Topics: most important problems in Germany; intent to participate in the election and party preference (Sunday question); judgement on the current economic situation in Eastern Germany or Western Germany; current personal economic situation; judgement on the economic development of Germany; judgement on the economic situation in comparison to Western European neighbors; judgement on the socially-oriented market economy in Germany and its future; prosperity of society; prosperity in danger, protection of prosperity and future of prosperity; wage costs, environmental regulations or sales markets as primary reason for production by German companies abroad; judgement on the level of company profits and business taxes in Germany; advantageousness of globalization for Germany and for respondent himself; degree of restriction of leeway for political decisions from globalization; necessity of business mergers; attitude to world-wide competition (scale); German companies prepared for international competition; rewarding interest of foreign companies in investing in Germany; development of attractiveness of Germany for foreign investors in the last few years; countries that are a threat to the German economy; judgement on quality and prices of industry products from Germany in comparison to foreign products; comparison of technical progress in Germany, Japan and the USA; judgement on the speed of technical progress in Germany; judgement on the future prospects of small and medium-sized companies in Germany; company size or specialization in particular products and capabilities as primary reason for economic success of a company on the world market; significance of German large concerns and medium-sized companies; relationship of the government with medium-sized companies; attitude to self-employment; assessment of innovativeness of Germans; necessity of greater mobility for occupational reasons; preference for wage agreements at association level or at company level; orientation of wage increases on the rate of inflation; approval of the pension at 60 years; creation of jobs as task of government or business; most important reasons for unemployment in Germany; judgement on extent of governmental interventions in the economy; expectations of the tax reform; complexity and expected simplification of the tax reform; judgement on the extent of existing social services; judgement on the ability of the German education system; advantageousness of membership of the country in the EU; currently perceived existence of a European currency or not until circulation of cash; advantages or disadvantages of the introduction of the Euro for the respondent personally, for Germany in general in the short as well as in the long view; expected changes of unemployment and the cost of living in Germany; assessment of stability of monetary value after introduction of the Euro; advantageousness of exchange rate loss of the Euro against the Dollar for Germany and perceived importance of this topic; judgement on the long-term chances of success of the Euro; self-assessment of extent to which informed about the Euro. Demography: state in which respondent is eligible to vote; city size; age in classes; school education; highest university degree; occupational training; extent of employment; jeopardy to one's own job; occupation group; status as salaried employee; status as civil servant; household size; persons in household 18 years old and older; union member in household; close persons who are unemployed or whose job is endangered; sex. Also encoded was: day of interview.

This data collection consists of public opinion surveys of the adult German population in December, 1968. Respondents were asked about their economic situation, the likelihood of inflation, the problems facing their communities and administrative responses to those problems, and their opinions of the chancellor, president, and the German political parties. See also the related collections, PRECONDITIONS OF THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC OPINION IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, 1964 (ICPSR 7014), and PUBLIC OPINION SURVEYS: WEST GERMANY, NOVEMBER 1968 (ICPSR 7090).

The German Internet Panel (GIP) is an infrastructure project. The GIP serves to collect data about individual attitudes and preferences which are relevant for political and economic decision-making processes.
The questionnaire contains numerous experimental variations in the survey instruments. For more information, see the study documentation.

Subjects: Experiment: agreement with different statements on income inequality with varying response categories (unipolar 4, 5, 6 and 7): workers need strong unions to be able to protect their working conditions and wages, large income differences are justified to reward different talents and achievements appropriately, for a society to be just, differences in people´s standard of living should be small, social benefits lead to more equality in society); satisfaction with the response categories offered;

Experiment on Political Effectiveness with varying response categories (I can understand and appreciate important political issues well, politicians make an effort to maintain close contact with the population, I dare to actively participate in a conversation about political issues, politicians care about what people like me think); Interest in politics; Social position: self-ranking on a top-bottom scale;

Perception of the federal government as divided or united; perception of the parties CDU, CSU, SPD, FDP, Bündnis90/Die Grünen, Die Linke and AfD as divided or united; satisfaction with the performance of the federal government; satisfaction with the performance of the parties CDU/CSU, SPD, Bündnis90/Die Grünen, Die Linke, AfD and FDP in the Bundestag; trust in the German Bundestag; satisfaction with democracy;

Experiment on the financial transaction tax for securities trading in politics: decision for proposal A, which provides for a relatively low financial transaction tax for securities trading of 0.1 per cent, or proposal B, which provides for a relatively high financial transaction tax for securities trading of 2 per cent;

Importance of the area of fiscal policy; self-assessment of competence in understanding fiscal policy issues; assessment of Proposal A overall and Proposal B overall; Proposal A should become law with the majority in the Bundestag; Proposal B should become law against the majority in the Bundestag;

Experiment on the topic of immigration and crime: attitude towards the topic of immigration and crime: increase or decrease in problems with crime in Germany due to immigrants; self-assessment of competence in understanding political issues in the area of immigration and integration; factual belief on the topic of immigrants and crime based on different excerpts from an article from a national daily newspaper or in the social media: estimated share of immigrants in all suspects of bodily harm in 2018; certainty of one´s own statement; interpretation of the stated share of immigrants in all suspects of bodily harm in Germany; immigration opportunities for foreigners to Germany should be facilitated or restricted; information shown from the website of a national daily newspaper or the information from the social media corresponded to the truth;

Environment: Germany should reduce or increase its efforts to develop renewable energies; self-assessment of competence in understanding political issues in the field of environment and climate protection; factual conviction on the topic of renewable energies based on different excerpts from an article from a national daily newspaper or in social media: estimated share of renewable energies in total electricity consumption in Germany in 2019; certainty of one´s own statement; evaluation of the stated share of renewable energies in electricity consumption in Germany; importance of the area of environmental and climate protection should be higher or lower; information shown from the website of a national daily newspaper or the information from social media corresponded to the truth;

Experiment on policy failure: greatest responsibility for policy failure in general and in the areas of economy, labour market and social affairs, health, environment and climate protection (the Federal Chancellor, the governing parties CDU/CSU, the governing party SPD, the federal government as a whole, the opposition parties, the interest groups, the states in the Bundesrat, the Federal Constitutional Court, the European Union, the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ), all equally, none of those listed, others);

Experiment on Fake News in online news reports on various topics (researchers publish study: electromagnetic waves cause cancer - 5G causes cancer, Corona fine catalogue git only for Germans: mass prayer by Muslims remains unpunished, CDU rejects speed limit demand, revenue from deposit bottles to be taxed in future, Wuhan: thousands celebrated pool party without distance, children slow down virus according to study);

Impact of measures to contain the Corona pandemic in Germany (economic damage...

Unemployment Rate in Germany remained unchanged at 6.30 percent in June. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Germany Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

This study was conducted in two waves, before and after the election carried out in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1969. The pre-election interview examined in detail the respondents' interest in politics and their sources of political information. The questionnaire also included an inquiry into the major problems facing Germany and the ability of the principal parties to deal with these issues. A number of measures were used to evaluate the political parties, including a series of semantic differential items. Open-ended questions assessed the competence and personal appeal of various politicians. Considerable attention was devoted to the issue orientation of voters, dealing with topics such as the reevaluation of the German mark, recognition of the German Democratic Republic, codetermination, radicalism in the Federal Republic, and other foreign and domestic policy topics. The respondents' voting patterns in the 1965 election and their anticipated behavior in the 1969 election were also ascertained, as well as their expectations about the election outcome. The post-election interview dealt with the respondents' actual voting behavior. Additional information was gathered on the long-term voting history of the respondents and their fathers. Variables probed attitudes toward the new government coalition and perceptions of the tasks ahead for the government. Questions tapping the respondents' evaluations of the political parties and candidates were repeated from the first wave, as well as the items assessing the major problems facing the republic. An additional component of the dataset consists of 1970 Census data for each respondent's community, merged with the respective respondent's survey data. These aggregate environmental variables describe the community in terms of marital status, religion, employment status, and industry of employment. Demographic data for the individual respondent cover age, sex, marital status, occupation, and income.

The study on attitudes towards foreign and security policy in Germany was conducted by infratest dimap on behalf of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. In the survey period 15.01.2021 to 28.01.2021, 1003 eligible voters were interviewed by telephone (CATI) on the following topics: feeling of security and threat, position on foreign policy, position on climate policy, interest in security policy, importance of the Bundeswehr, future defence expenditure, basic security policy orientations, associations with the European Union, security policy cooperation, attitudes towards other states, European army, Germany´s role in international politics, European integration, satisfaction with democracy, political interest, Sunday question. Respondents were selected by a multi-stage random sample including landline and mobile phone numbers (dual-frame sample) with an over-quota of N=367 in the eastern German Flächenländer (excluding Berlin).
Personal sense of security; sense of threat from: worldwide military arms race, armed attack on Germany, worldwide climate change due to global warming, immigration to Germany, economic crisis in Germany, attack e.g. on power supply in Germany, spying on important data by hackers, right-wing extremist/left-wing extremist/Islamist terrorist attack in Germany, tensions between Europe and Russia or between Europe and China, xenophobia in Germany, fake news and consequences of the Corona pandemic; party preference in the next Bundestag election (Sunday question). between Europe and China, xenophobia in Germany, fake news and consequences of the Corona pandemic; party preference in the next federal election (Sunday question); opinion on foreigners´ policy with regard to easier or restricted immigration opportunities for foreigners; opinion on combating climate change vs. economic growth; interest in security and defense policy; importance of the Federal Armed Forces for Germany; opinion on the level of future defense spending; basic security policy orientations (there are situations in which it is necessary to intervene militarily in other countries, Germany should become more involved in world politics, Germany should generally stay out of international conflicts, in foreign policy issues Germany should act in concert with the USA, Germany should not act alone in foreign and security policy but only with partners); associations of various terms with the European Union (peace, security, strength in the world, prosperity); opinion on security policy cooperation with Turkey, Russia, China, the USA, France and the UK; attitude toward other states (Russia, USA/ China/ Turkey a reliable partner of Germany, Germany should have more understanding for the security interests of Russia/ the USA, China/ Turkey, the foreign and security policy of Russia/ the USA/ China/ Turkey is a threat to Germany´s security); agreement with statements on Russia (I condemn Russia´s military action in the Ukraine conflict in Crimea, NATO should have a strong military presence in Eastern Europe on the alliance border with Russia); agreement with statements on the USA (the USA should play a greater role in securing international stability, the transatlantic alliance should be strengthened); European Army: Agreement with various statements on the creation of a common European army (the EU would have more influence in the world, the EU could better respond to military threats, there would be tensions between the EU and NATO, Germany would lose too much of its political independence); opinion on Germany´s role in international politics (Germany should rather pursue an active policy and help to manage international problems, crises and conflicts vs. Germany should rather concentrate on dealing with its own problems and stay out of international problems, crises and conflicts of others); attitude toward European integration (European integration should continue and countries should grow even closer together in the European Union vs. European integration has already gone too far and countries should keep more to themselves); self-assessment of knowledge on the subject of security policy; satisfaction with democracy; political interest.

Explore the surprising 1% decline in German industrial production in October, signaling ongoing struggles and potential recession in Europe's largest economy.

International debt issues to GDP (%) in Germany was reported at 50.84 % in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Germany - International debt issues to GDP - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

In 2024, over *** percent of the German population could not heat their homes properly due to financial reasons. This was a decrease compared to the previous year. Heating cost started rising in 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic officially began, and continued to increase in 2022, which saw the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, and subsequently rising energy costs.

In 2021, there were approximately 11.9 million people among the German-speaking population aged 14 years and older that self-reportedly struggled with their weight being too high. This was a decrease compared to the previous year and the lowest number reported within the five-year period between 2017 and 2021.

Expectations of the new government and judgement on the top politicians in the government. Topics: most important problems in Germany; party preference (Sunday question); personal expectations of the planned tax reform; judgement on the tax reform; attitude to reduction of the maximum tax rate; attitude to increase in the petroleum tax and abandoning atomic energy; attitude to correction of the reduction in the level of pensions; expected policies of the new middle through the new government; loss of prestige for the chancellor from Stollmann's giving up his candidacy for the office as Minister of Trade and Commerce; satisfaction with filling individual minister positions; assumed problem-solving ability of the new government; expectation of great political changes through the change of government; mood of new beginning from the change of government; expected reduction in unemployment. Demography: age; school education; occupational training; marital status; employment; jeopardy to one's job; occupational position; household size and persons 18 years old and older; union membership; religious denomination; frequency of church attendance; sex; state; city size.

This data collection consists of public opinion surveys of the adult German population in November, 1968. Respondents were asked about their economic situation, the likelihood of inflation, the problems facing their communities and administrative responses to those problems, and their opinions of the chancellor, president, and the German political parties. See also the related collections, PRECONDITIONS OF THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC OPINION IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, 1964 (ICPSR 7014), and PUBLIC OPINION SURVEYS: WEST GERMANY, DECEMBER 1968 (ICPSR 7091).

In 2023, around 73 percent of food retailers in Germany had experienced delivery problems. Roughly 52 percent of businesses in the automotive trade faced these challenges as well. Delivery problems could be due to delays or supply shortages.

Attitudes towards the foreign policy situation. Germany´s international and European role. Aims and instruments of German foreign policy. International Relations. Foreign Relations of the EU. Defence and Armaments Policy.

Topics: 1. Foreign policy situation: most important problem worldwide (open); urgent problems worldwide; foreign policy interest: uncertain times in view of the global economic and political situation; expected secure future for Germany; areas of urgent need for solutions worldwide (refugees and causes of flight, climate change, the global economy and free trade, combating terrorism, peacekeeping and avoiding military conflicts); expected increase in violent conflicts worldwide; expected increase in larger waves of refugees; greater risk of terrorist attacks because of refugees in Germany; Islam as a threat to Western democracies; assessment of various conflicts and regions with regard to the potential threat to world peace.

1. Germany´s international role: opinion on Germany´s participation in conflict resolution (general and military); opinion on the participation of the Bundeswehr in international anti-terrorism operations; opinion on Germany´s influence in the world; opinion on Germany´s reputation in the world; opinion on the assertion of German interests towards other states; advocacy of permanent membership of Germany in the UN Security Council.

2. Objectives of German foreign policy: opinion on Germany´s commitment to the economic interests of German companies; Germany´s resolute commitment to democracy versus rather restraint; Germany´s resolute commitment to human rights versus rather restraint.

3. Instruments of German foreign policy: preferred instruments of human rights policy; opinion on the scope of development aid; opinion on the conditionalisation of development aid; combating the causes of flight in Africa: significantly fewer refugees through other EU development and economic policies; Germany can make a substantial contribution to combating the causes of refugee flight in Africa.

4. international relations: role of the UN in international peacekeeping; assessment of Germany´s relations with France, the USA and Russia; concerns regarding the policy of US President Trump; USA under Trump as a reliable partner of Europe; call for greater cohesion in Europe because of the policy of Donald Trump; concerns regarding the policy of Russian President Putin; too much dependence on Russian gas; assessment of Western policy towards Russia as too hostile.

5. EU external relations: importance of EU unity in foreign policy issues; expected greater EU unity in foreign policy issues; advocacy of a leading role for Germany in Europe; future world order: world power against which Europe must defend itself most strongly (China, Russia or the USA); opinion on the future involvement of the EU in the resolution of international conflicts; European security policy: preference for the establishment of a separate military organisation versus Europeans should use NATO for this purpose; advocacy of joint European armed forces under European supreme command

6. Defence policy and arms exports: opinion on increasing German defence spending to 2%; opinion on the future of NATO; opinion on the level of future spending on the Bundeswehr and defence or on military missions abroad (split half); conditions for German arms exports.

Demography: sex; age; school-leaving qualification or desired school-leaving qualification; university degree; occupation; occupational status; job security; household size; number of persons in the household aged 18 and over; party affiliation; federal state.

Additionally coded: Respondent ID; Berlin East/West; city size; reached via mobile or fixed network; weighting factor; mobile only: reached at home or elsewhere; reached via an additional fixed network number (homezone or home option) on the mobile phone; fixed network connection in the household; additional mobile phone number; fixed network: number of fixed network numbers and mobile phone numbers via which one can be reached; mobile phone ownership.