Month / March 2021
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People want to work less
People in Germany would prefer to work less, even if it meant earning less. On average, men would prefer to work just 36 hours per week, as compared to 39 hours in 2007. Women would also like to work less: Recent data show that they would prefer to work 29.5 hours per week.
A comparison of men’s and women’s preferred working hours shows a convergence in preferences over time. In 2000, women wanted to work nine hours less than men, and now just six and a half hours less.
In the early aughts, people’s preferred number of working hours was still rising. This changed after Germany overcame a phase of major unemployment. These findings from the study “Living in Germany” were published in an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
Further information
Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung: Deutsche wollen immer weniger arbeiten
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Refugees’ mental health is suffering during the pandemic
The pandemic has exacerbated feelings of loneliness in many people. Since the pandemic, the non-migrant population reports levels of loneliness that are as high as those reported by refugees for a number of years previous to the pandemic. of years previous to the pandemic.“
The study also shows that refugees continue to experience more psychological problems, such as depression and anxiety, than non-migrants.
The reason is suspected to lie in a lack of social participation, since those who have a job are less lonely. Even having better German language skills or a higher household income alleviates feelings of loneliness in refugees.
Based on these findings, the research team has called for better language-learning programs and improved access to the labor market for refugees.
Further information
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Immigrants are becoming better integrated into German society
Germany has made significant progress in refugee integration over recent years—in terms of employment, social integration, and political participation. In 2018, half of all first-generation immigrants and three-quarters of all second-generation immigrants considered themselves German. In the same year, 56 percent of first-generation immigrants and 77 percent of second-generation immigrants had a primarily non-immigrant circle of friends. These findings by the German Economic Institute were the result of a study based on data from “Living in Germany.” Second-generation immigrants from the new EU member states are almost completely integrated into German society.
Further information
Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft: Integration: Deutschland ist auf einem guten Weg
Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash…
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How rich are you?
How rich are you compared to others? With an interactive calculator based on the study “Living in Germany,” you can find out where you lie in the income distribution in Germany, and how much of the population is better or worse off than you. The calculator takes into account income, assets, but also your housing situation. The interactive calculator on ZEIT online was developed by a research team led by Bremen sociologist Olaf Groh-Samberg.
