Coronavirus: Broad support for German measures

On October 3, 1990, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) joined and became part of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), and the country was reunited for the first time in decades. Despite the fact that 30 years have passed and it is not so easy to see physical differences between the former East Germany and West Germany, as the two states were informally known in English, a divide of sorts remains in the minds of many.

At least, this is the conclusion drawn by the most recent Deutschlandtrend survey conducted by the research institute Infratest Dimap. It found that 41% of those who live in what was formerly the GDR considered themselves rather East German than German, while 55% considered themselves German rather than East German. In the former West Germany, some 78% considered themselves simply German, while 16% described themselves as West German.

Read more: In Germany, a post-communist generation searches for identity

Less support for government in former East

There is still a marked difference in the way that people perceive the country's political structures. Those Germans who live in the country's eastern part continue to be less satisfied with the functioning of the country's democracy than their counterparts in the western part. While in the former West some 68% were satisfied with today's democracy, about half of those polled in the former East said that they were dissatisfied.

However, there was a consensus all over the country that there are more guarantees for freedom of speech in today's Germany than in the former East. People tended to agree that today's health system performed better than that of the GDR, too. This outlook has become more widespread in eastern states over the past year in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the survey showed.

However, with regard to social solidarity, opinions have not changed much in recent months: In both the eastern and western parts of Germany, there is a feeling that today's Federal Republic lies behind the GDR in this regard.

Germans from both eastern and western states also seemed to be even closer in outlook when it came to evaluating those in power today. Generally, people were satisfied with the government even though there has been a slight drop in positive attitudes. Overall, 60% were satisfied with the government's work, especially with regard to the coronavirus pandemic. Supporters of the Left Party and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) were much less likely to voice support for the government.

Read more: German reunification: What happened to East Germany's top football clubs?

Merkel is most popular politician

According to the survey, Chancellor Angela Merkel remains the most popular politician in Germany. She is followed by Health Minister Jens Spahn, who in turn is followed by Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, the Social Democrat (SPD) candidate to run for chancellor at the country's next elections.

While the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the center-left SPD have lost some support among the general population, the Green and the Left parties have gained support, according to the survey. If people were to vote today, there would probably either be a continuation of the current ruling coalition or the first coalition of Green and conservative parties at federal level would be formed.

Rising fears of getting infected

The rise in COVID-19 infections over the past few days has sparked more fear of contracting the virus. Some 36% of the German population is currently worried that they might either infect themselves or their relatives. This figure has not been so high since March. People are also worried about reports of the long-term consequences of the coronavirus in people who have been infected. There is also concern about the psychological and social impact of the pandemic in the long term as well as a fear of loneliness. A quarter of those surveyed said that they felt more lonely than before. This figure rose to 30% when it came to people who lived alone.

In view of the rise in infections, the majority of those surveyed did not see any reason for easing the measures to curb the spread of the virus. Only 11% thought that the measures were too extreme — this figure had barely changed since August. Some 27% did not think that the measures went far enough.

In hindsight, 59% of those surveyed thought that the measures so far had been satisfactory, but people were open to further measures. A majority of 63% thought that it would be a step in the right direction to introduce compulsory mask-wearing in crowded public spaces and 85% thought that it was right to limit attendance of private parties to a maximum of 50 people, as the chancellor and the state leaders decided this week.

Half of those polled believed, however, that individuals should also take personal responsibility for their behavior in the pandemic. Around 54% believed that this was more important than the imposition of strict rules. But 43% were not of this opinion and thought that the state should call the shots. More than three-quarters thought that the different federal states should work together more to fight the pandemic. But 20% did not think that more cooperation was necessary.

This article was translated from German.