Living Conditions in East and West (July 2022)

The study on living conditions in East and West Germany was conducted by the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen Telefonfeld on behalf of the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government. During the survey period 05.07.2023 to 25.07.2022, eligible voters in Germany aged 18 and over were asked in telephone interviews (CATI) about the following topics: living conditions in East and West Germany as well as the relationship of the respective sections of the population to politics and trust in institutions. The survey examines how the sense of identity differs in East and West and how strongly East and West Germans feel their interests and experiences are represented in politics and society. It also looks at the assessment of living conditions, especially in the areas of infrastructure, mobility, health care, social participation and life in the city and in the countryside. The respondents were selected by means of a multi-stage random sample according to the RDD method, including landline and mobile phone numbers (dual-frame sample).<br>Predominance of differences or similarities with regard to East and West Germany as well as North and South Germany; satisfaction with democracy; democracy as the best form of government; opinion on social justice in Germany; trust in institutions (courts, science and research, churches, police, federal government, politicians, parties and media); interest in politics; strength of conflicts between different social groups (rich and poor, employers and employees, young and old, foreigners and Germans, East Germans and West Germans, women and men); strength of conflicts between supporters of Corona vaccination and opponents of vaccination and between left-wing political forces and right-wing political forces; assessment of the situation in various areas in one´s own region (road conditions, provision of public transport, fast internet and doctors, shopping facilities for daily needs, wages and salaries, childcare facilities in after-school and day-care centres, cultural and recreational opportunities, jobs on offer, economic situation of people in the region as a whole); life satisfaction; optimism about the future; assessment of one´s own economic situation; East Germans are now better or worse off than West Germans; political conditions today better or worse than in the Federal Republic before reunification (West Germans aged 45 and over); political conditions today better or worse than in the GDR before reunification (East Germans aged 45 and over); assessment of social security and own economic situation compared to then (respondents aged 45 and over); identity as a German, West German or as an East German; assessment of the relationship between East Germans and West Germans; relationship between East Germans and West Germans tended to get better or tended to get worse in recent years; greatest injustices for both East Germany and West Germany; agreement with various statements (East Germans are still second-class citizens, East Germans do not recognise what a great contribution West Germans have made to the reconstruction of East Germany, West Germans are not interested in the problems in East Germany); feeling of personal representation of interests in politics, in the media as well as by various interest groups; personal sense of justice; attitude towards political influence (politicians can promise whatever they want, I don´t believe them, for me there are more important things to do than to care about politics, people like me have no influence on the politics of our country anyway, politicians care about the welfare of our country); behaviour of politicians: Politicians should stick to their opinion once it has been expressed or adjust their opinion once in a while in case of new insights and situations; politicians should always orientate themselves on the opinion of the majority of the population or on their conscience; opinion on meetings of politicians with business representatives (rather good because the business representatives can advise the politicians or rather bad because they have too much influence this way); party preference.

Demography: sex; age; education: school-leaving qualification or intended school-leaving qualification; university degree; occupation; job security; professional position; simple, higher or managerial occupation (employee); occupation in simple, middle, higher or higher service; household size; number of persons in the household aged 18 and over.

Additionally coded were: Respondent ID; federal state; Berlin district of residence (formerly West/East Berlin); city size; sample frame (reached via mobile or landline); weighting factors.