Social Cohesion and Polarisation (April/May 2023)

The study on social cohesion and polarisation was conducted by IfD Allensbach on behalf of the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government. In the survey period from 28.04.2023 to 10.05.2023, the German population aged 16 and over was surveyed in personal interviews on the following topics: perception of social cohesion in Germany and its change, influence of government policy on cohesion and polarization trends on individual political and social issues. Respondents were selected using a Quota sample.<br>Personal values (ranking: particularly important, still important, less important); association of the term progress more with opportunities or more with risks; assessment of social cohesion in Germany; criteria for the observed strong social cohesion (helpfulness, solidarity, helpfulness of friends, acquaintances, helpfulness in emergency situations (earthquake victims, refugees, flood victims, corona, Ukraine), a lot of voluntary work, strong club culture, other observations); Criteria for the weak social cohesion observed (people are selfish, think only of themselves, ruthlessness, the gap between rich and poor is widening, discrimination/exclusion, e.g. the elderly, foreigners, the disabled, xenophobia, envy and resentment, East/West divide, aggression, violence, hostility, crime, intolerance of other opinions, information that names the causes of the observed weak cohesion, e.g. division of society by the media or politics, indifference towards others, other observations);aspects that hold a society very much together, also hold together, do not hold together (language, religion, habits, history, past, customs and traditions, law, legislation, common basic political convictions, art and literature, sporting successes, threats from outside, national character, common characteristics, economic successes, common values and convictions, common homeland, common home country, scientific successes, citizenship, involvement in clubs, groups, Basic Law, in which rights and freedoms are guaranteed); contrasts/divisive aspects in Germany (political views, social class to which one belongs, income, wealth, school-leaving qualifications, education, religion, religious beliefs, whether one comes from East or West Germany, age, the generation to which one belongs, how one feels about refugees and immigration, what importance should be attached to climate protection, which region, which area of Germany one comes from, how one feels about Russia and the war against Ukraine, origin, whether one comes from Germany or another country, whether one is single or has a family, whether one lives in the city or in the country); assessment of cohesion in the personal environment; assessment of social cohesion in Germany in comparison with cohesion in other countries; change in social cohesion in recent years; reasons for dwindling cohesion (plays a major role, still plays a role, does not play a role or is not so: social differences, the gap between rich and poor has widened, there is less sense of family, many are constantly on the move, see neighbors and friends very little, selfishness has increased, everything is changing so fast, people are more mobile, move more often, there are fewer and fewer stable neighborhoods, there are fewer common beliefs and ways of life, the influence of the media, there is less national consciousness, the churches have lost importance and influence, the social media have gained more and more influence on our communication and information behaviour, increasing globalization, people have more and more to do, stay among themselves, due to the corona pandemic, opinions on various political issues are becoming more and more divergent, due to immigration, people with different political opinions are increasingly irreconcilable towards each other, incitement and hatred on the Internet have increased); agreement with the feeling that in times of crisis, e.g. social cohesion increases in times of crisis, e.g. corona or the war in Ukraine; strengthening social cohesion (promoting equal opportunities, equal opportunities for education, national awareness, promoting patriotism, ensuring that everyone abides by existing rules and laws, strengthening families, promoting integration, solidarity, helpfulness towards minorities and the weaker, attaching great importance to neighborliness, cultivating traditions and customs, more voluntary work, openness towards other religions, lifestyles and family images, limiting immigration to Germany, encouraging children and young people to be helpful and show solidarity, combating hatred and bullying on the Internet, improving social security, other); Assessment of the influence of the federal government on social cohesion in Germany; assessment of the influence of citizens on social cohesion in Germany; federal government policy promotes vs. weakens social cohesion in Germany; reasons why the federal government´s policies weaken cohesion (cares too little about the problems of citizens, does too little to reduce social differences, does too little to incorporate the opinions of the population into its policies, is not close enough to the people, is too aloof, does too little to ensure that all citizens have the same opportunities in life, enforces rules and laws too little, does not strengthen families enough, does too little for the integration of immigrants, allows too much immigration to Germany, does not fight hate and bullying on the internet consistently enough, only makes policies for certain groups, not for all citizens, other things); assessment of economic conditions in Germany and own economic conditions as fair vs. not fair; politics creates more equality between richer and poorer people vs. differences are increasing; I enjoy talking to people with different opinions or world views vs. conversations don´t achieve much; difficult to be friends with someone who has completely different views on important topics (split A) / on political and social topics (split B); frequency of completely different opinions among friends on political and social topics; own behavior in the event of differing opinions among friends (disagree vs. hold back); topics or issues on which it makes no sense to discuss because of irreconcilable opinions (split A)/ on which there are frequent arguments in the personal environment (split B) (raising children, whether and how Germany should support Ukraine, coronavirus and the coronavirus measures, the church, securing the future energy supply, equal rights for same-sex couples as other couples, climate protection measures, immigration and immigration policy, abortion, euthanasia, gender-neutral language, speed limit on motorways, dealing with Russia, AfD, state of Germany); personal attitudes and views often similar to most others vs. immigration policy, abortion, euthanasia, gender-equitable language, speed limit on highways, dealing with Russia, AfD, state of Germany); personal attitudes and views often similar to most others vs. often belong to a minority; own opinion is usually vs. more often not respected; on many topics clear facts or facts that can be proven vs. what is true and what is not is in many cases a matter of opinion.

Demography: sex; age; age categories; school-leaving qualification; occupation; occupational status; monthly net income of main earner (grouped); main earner (respondent, other person in household); children; number of children; age of children; number of children in household; multi-person household or single household; number of people in household with own income; monthly net household income (grouped); marital status; living with a partner; interest in politics; party sympathy.

Additionally coded were: external questionnaire number; indicator of the semi-groups, indicator of the West-East arc; weighting; Nielsen areas; number of inhabitants of the place of residence (size of place); character of the place of residence; socio-economic status; respondent has mentioned at least one of the six points regarding the observed strong social cohesion; respondent has mentioned at least one of the ten points regarding the observed weak social cohesion; interviewee has mentioned at least one of the fourteen points on the contrasts/divisiveness in Germany; interviewee has mentioned at least one of the fifteen points on strengthening social cohesion; interviewee has mentioned at least one of the twelve points on why the federal government´s policies weaken cohesion; interviewee has mentioned at least one of the fifteen points on frequent disputes among friends.