Forsa survey
Two thirds of the citizens do not find that the Germans are too lazy
Chancellor Merz complains that the Germans would not deal too little with work and too much with their free time. A Forsa survey says the opposite.
Last week, Friedrich Merz that in Germany there is too much talk about the four-day week and work-life balance instead of working hard. So you couldn’t get the prosperity. On the other hand, almost two thirds of the Germans do not find that too little work in Germany is being worked on. In his opinion, only 32 percent agree on the working morality. This is the result of a current Forsa survey for the star and RTL.
There are significant differences depending on age groups. The younger the respondents, the lower the proportion of those who believe that too little would be worked in this country. Only 24 percent of the 18 to 29 year olds believe that the Germans showed a worse work ethic in an international comparison. At the bottom of the over 60s find 40 percent, the Chancellor’s allegations are justified.
Forsa survey: Above all, younger people find that there is enough work in Germany
Even after party preferences, there are clear differences. While an average of 32 percent of the Germans believe that too little work is made in this country, almost every second (47 percent) among the SPD voters is every fifth (21 percent) and among the supporters of the left party (7 percent).
Merz ‘general allegation had caused broad contradiction. Especially trade unionists and younger employees found his criticism wrong and fell out of time. In the meantime, the Chancellor has apparently realized that he swung the workforce club too violently. At the day of the construction industry, he rowed back: “We cannot say that the German work is too little.” The younger ones in particular are very hardworking, emphasized Merz.
Forsa survey on behalf of Stern and RTL Germany: 1008 interviewed on May 21 and 22, 2025. Statistical error tolerance +/- 3 percentage points
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
