Concern about one’s own social security is widespread in Germany: according to a study published on Friday by the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research (IMK) of the Hans Böckler Foundation, 81 percent of adults are worried. 42 percent are therefore cutting back on private consumption, which weakens domestic demand.
Rejection of the reforms spans almost all party lines. Resistance to benefit cuts in statutory health and long-term care insurance is particularly pronounced: 83 and 85 percent of respondents respectively oppose them. The study authors Jan Behringer, Sebastian Dullien, and Lukas Endres see this as reflecting the high value placed on social security by the population.
Among supporters of the Union and the FDP, rejection is lower at 51 and 62 percent respectively, while among those of the Left Party, BSW, and AfD it is clearly above 80 percent. For the Greens and SPD, it is around 75 percent each. People under 30 are particularly unsettled: 92 percent of them worry about their security.
The authors warn that the debate over social reforms has become a growth risk for the German economy and a political risk for the federal government.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
