Berlin, October 2nd, 2026 (The Berlin Spectator) – Financial concerns dominate what keeps Germans up at night. In the annual study “The Fears of the Germans 2026” by insurer R+V, 59 percent of respondents said they worry that the cost of living will rise sharply. That is seven percentage points more than last year, when the figure was 52 percent. People in western Germany are more concerned (60 percent) than those in the east (53 percent).
Study leader Grischa Brower-Rabinowitsch spoke of a clear increase in financial worries. Political scientist Isabelle Borucki of the University of Marburg, who advises on the study, pointed to higher prices for energy, housing and food. Households have less room for leisure, vacations and big purchases, she said, adding that “people can afford less and less.”
Second place went to the fear of tax increases or cuts in benefits, which worries 53 percent (up from 49 percent). The concern that the number of refugees overburdens the state ranks third at 52 percent, compared to 49 percent last year. Fear of a worsening economy ranks fourth at 51 percent. Half of those surveyed also fear that housing will become unaffordable.
Recession and Migration
The biggest jump came in fear of a recession. It rose by ten percentage points, from 41 percent a year ago, when it ranked tenth. Borucki called it the strongest signal of the study and described such fears as an early warning system. In her view, the increase reflects “a collective loss of confidence in the country’s economic future.”
Migration remains a major topic even though immigration to Germany is declining. In addition to the 52 percent who fear the state is overburdened, 47 percent expect tensions from further immigration (seventh place, up from 45 percent). Only in the west have these concerns grown noticeably. There, 51 percent fear an overburdened state (47 percent last year), while the figure in the east is 55 percent (56 percent last year). Borucki explained that these are nationwide questions, which is why the worries persist while the numbers fall.
Trust in politicians has suffered. Some 48 percent fear that politics is overwhelmed by its tasks, a rise of six points. Respondents gave the government and opposition an average grade of 4.1 on the German school scale, after 3.8 last year. This is the worst result since 2018, when Angela Merkel was chancellor. Borucki said many had hoped for stronger leadership, less quarreling and a quick economic turnaround from the coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD after the collapse of its predecessor. “Between the big announcements and the noticeable results, there is now a gap,” she said.
More Dangerous
Global politics plays a smaller role. About 45 percent fear that the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump make the world more dangerous, far below the record of 69 percent in 2018. The fear of increasingly powerful authoritarian rulers fell to 41 percent. Borucki sees a habituation effect after years of constant alarming news, and she noted that people now look more inward.
Despite the gloom, the average of all fears is just 38 percent. That is only two points above 2021, the least anxious year so far, and well below the peak of 52 percent in 2016. Eight fears reached their lowest values since the study began. Worries about climate change dropped to 30 percent and about natural disasters to 27 percent, a decline of nine points and the largest of the year. This comes despite record heat in June, low river levels, crop failures and severe forest fires. Borucki suggested that resignation may be overshadowing fear. She also said that financial pressure pushes other concerns into the background.
Other findings include:
- Political extremism worries 41 percent (ninth place). Fear of Islamism stands at 45 percent, fear of right-wing extremism at 43 percent and fear of left-wing extremism at 7 percent.
- Concern about a split in society fell to 37 percent. Among those who fear one, 75 percent see a divide between people with and without a migration background.
- Fear that Germany could be drawn into a war fell to 34 percent from 41 percent.
- One in three fears the consequences of artificial intelligence.
- Fear of job loss stands at 20 percent among the employed, the lowest since 1992. Fear of crime is lowest of all at 19 percent.
For the study, about 2,400 people aged 14 and older were interviewed in person between May 11th and July 29th, 2026. R+V has conducted the survey every year since 1992.
The entire study (in German) can be accessed here.
