Newsletter: Do Germans want a nanny state? Far from it / Analysis and short cut of the big forum survey

Some commentators in this country like to describe Germans as a people with a risk-averse, borderline “overprotective mindset” (in German: “Vollkasko-Mentalität”, that is, of believing in a mighty state that, in return for high taxes, provides its citizens with plenty of financial security). Nowhere is the call for the state so present. Those who mock this are often the ones who praise the free market and competition as an alternative – and lament the German lack of liberalism. This is true even in normal times. And it is even more so during heated election campaign times when nuances fade.

Whether the cliché is true is doubtful. This is shown by the third wave of the large representative survey we conducted with dpart on the fundamental questions of economic policy. Yes, the Germans have great doubts about the self-regulation of markets – and they are not alone in this. More than 70 percent of people in the country disagree with the ultra-liberal credo that “a society functions best when everyone thinks of themselves first.” In 2025, not even a majority of FDP supporters agree with this.

A large majority agrees that globalization has brought about too many economic losses. Or that the gap between rich and poor can no longer be justified by corresponding achievements; even nearly 80 percent of CDU/CSU voters say this. And that it is good if the market does not determine where society goes as a whole. Many FDP voters also say this. There is no need to mock this. There is plenty of older and much newer research showing where markets have their limits here and now.

To conclude that the Germans are simply people with a “Vollkasko-Mentalität” seems nonsense. Most are in favor of technology-open competition – and still a (narrow) majority believes that everyone is the architect of their own fortune. A good economy is the best social policy – say 80 percent. What an equally large majority wants is a state that creates conditions. For example, through investments in schools, education, or climate protection. Or by protecting against the overwhelming effects of economic upheavals. Or by setting positive incentives to behave in a climate-friendly manner – instead of punishing bad behavior.

All this is far more differentiated than the simple formulas that are stylized as an alternative in the roaring election campaign. The Germans seem to overwhelmingly neither want to return to the naive market-liberal doctrine – nor to dream of a state that eliminates all risks or limits itself to compensating for the consequences of upheavals instead of preventing them from arising in the first place. It is high time to better understand what people think about the economy – instead of labeling them with overly crude clichés.

We discussed the survey results in the context of the election campaign and beyond in our New Economy Short Cut with Jens Südekum, Maja Göpel, and Achim Wambach – rewatch the event here (we will also provide English subtitles for the event recording shortly).

The full report with detailed data is available here.  ZEIT also published a guest article on this today.

For a separate evaluation of the questions on national debt and the role of the state, click here.

Have a nice rest of the week,

Thomas Fricke

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