Ukraine leads 2022 Google search trends in Germany

"Why is Russia attacking Ukraine?" — this was the "why" question most frequently entered into Google in Germany in 2022.  The Russian invasion of the neighboring country dominated many areas of Germans' internet search activities, Google revealed on Wednesday.

The word "Ukraine" tops the most important lists of "general search terms" and "headlines." However, the war in Ukraine is not limited to general searches, it is also reflected in the ranking of headlines, questions of the year, politicians, and even memes.

For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin is not only the most googled politician in Germany, but also the number 1 in the category "prominent personalities." He also leads the "how-questions" ("How old is Putin?") and "memes" ("Putin memes"). His major opponent, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was only the number 5 in the politicians category.

COVID's stranglehold on searches starts to recede

Meanwhile, the coronavirus that has dominated search trends for the past several years has disappeared from them. Instead, Google users were interested in monkeypox, which also broke out in Germany in 2022.

However, the list of the most popular "how-questions" demonstrates that there is still a need for information about the pandemic, or perhaps confusion about the government's approach at the national and state level alike.

"How long does the quarantine last?" is the number 2 on this list of questions, and "How long does a PCR test take?" is the number 4.

These questiones are followed by "How long does it take to be considered recovered?" (5th place), "how long are you considered vaccinated?" (7th place), "how long does corona last?" (9th place) and "how long is Corona contagious?" (10 th place).

World Cup and Queen's death feature prominently

Google search trends also show the important role that sport plays in the lives of Germans. Despite the poor performance of the German men's national soccer team, the term "WM 2022" ended up in second place behind "Ukraine" in the general search list, followed by the Olympic Games 2022.

"Queen" was the general search term number 4. The death of Queen Elizabeth II, who was the "Queen of Hearts" for many people in Germany, was also at the top of the "Farewell" list. Google users were also interested in the untimely deaths of pop singer Aaron Carter and actress Anne Heche.

Did you know the Greek for extremities, as in fingers and toes?

The most googled "what-question" may raise eyebrows: why did so many people want to know what "Akren" are, a German medical word deriving from Greek? However, viewers of the German quiz show "Who wants to be a millionaire?" ought to know the answer.

With this question, a candidate almost lost on the RTL show in January.

Only when moderator Günther Jauch was able to talk the player out of committing to a possible wrong answer did she go home with a prize of €290,000 ($303,000).

Incidentally, "Akros" is Greek for "extreme" or "outermost," so Germany's Duden dictionary says it means bodily extremities including noses, chins, other extremities, but "particularly fingers and toes."

dh/msh (dpa, KNA)