For many Germans, the pandemic is apparently a roller coaster of emotions. While an extraordinarily large number of people were still optimistic in spring 2020, it is now only about one in four.
Garching – The corona pandemic has obviously struck many people in Germany. According to a representative survey, the number of optimists in Germany fell sharply by the summer, while the perception of stress also increased significantly.
However, the results are a bit behind: In July, the Bilendi survey institute surveyed a good 1,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 79 on behalf of the Swiss Life insurance company. Accordingly, 24 percent of those surveyed said that they were unreservedly optimistic about the future. In the initial phase of the pandemic in spring 2020, the number of 44 percent was extraordinarily high; in 2019, the pre-crisis year it was 37 percent.
The surveyors explain the ups and downs with the assumption that the beginning of the pandemic meant new experiences and that many people may even initially feel more self-determined in the home office than in the usual workplace.
However, the perception of stress increased over the course of the pandemic: 26 percent said they often felt under pressure. That was considerably more than in the two previous years: In 2019, 15 percent replied that they felt stressed, in spring 2020 13 percent.
According to the survey, financial confidence has also fallen: 43 percent of those surveyed rated their financial prospects for old age as positive, compared with 63 percent in 2020. dpa
