Current Questions on the Economy (February 2026)

The short survey on current questions on the economy was conducted by forsa on behalf of the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government. During the survey period from February 12, 2026, to February 16, 2026, German-speaking individuals aged 14 and older were interviewed by telephone (CATI) about their views on current developments in Germany, the state of the economy, and social benefits. Employed individuals were asked about their current work situation, sick leave rates at their workplace, and the relationship between high sick leave rates and working conditions. Respondents were selected through a multistage random sample as part of the forsa multi-topic survey (Politik-BUS), including both landline and mobile phone numbers (dual-frame sample). Developments in Germany that are of greatest concern (open-ended question, 2 responses); assessment of the current economic situation in Germany; Agreement with statements regarding social benefits (social benefits in Germany are distributed fairly; spending on social benefits is too high; social benefits in Germany have more advantages than disadvantages for me personally; social benefits in Germany have more advantages than disadvantages for society); examining individual cases as thoroughly as possible vs. minimizing bureaucratic red tape when deciding who receives social benefits; job security; likelihood of being unemployed for more than half a year within the next five years (only for those under 60); employed individuals were asked about their current work situation: satisfaction with overall working conditions, with income, with recognition for their work, with opportunities to balance work and personal life, and with the atmosphere and team spirit at work; assessment of sick leave rates at the workplace (rather high or rather low); high sick leave rates are also related to working conditions at the workplace; circumstances in the work environment that contribute to high sick leave rates (high workload or high work pressure, poor morale at the workplace, contact with many people, other); colleagues calling in sick even though they are not actually ill. Demography: sex; age (categorized); education; employment status; party preference for the next federal election; voting behavior in the last federal election; income level: low, medium, high (net equivalence income). The following were also coded: West/East region; federal state; weighting factor.