The consequences of the Ukraine war are felt by the citizens of Germany, especially in their wallets. Inflation hasn't been this high for decades. Almost three quarters say in a survey for RTL/ntv that the federal government needs to do more about it. They have doubts about the effect of the tank discount.
When it comes to money, things get critical. This also applies to Germans, who are losing their usual purchasing power due to inflation. The verdict of German citizens in a survey of the federal government by Forsa for RTL/ntv is correspondingly negative. Only 20 percent of them and thus 6 percent less than in the previous week are of the opinion that the countermeasures of the traffic light coalition of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz are sufficient; 73 percent say they need to do more. That is 8 percent more than in the previous survey period.
In order to cushion the inflation triggered by the Ukraine war, the federal government lowered the energy tax on fuel and introduced the nine-euro ticket for local and regional public transport. It is valid from June to September. In addition, an energy price lump sum of 300 euros is to be paid out in the autumn. There are also several tax breaks and a child bonus of 100 euros. Last week, Scholz announced that he also wanted to discuss "concerted action" against inflation with employers and employees.
The following applies to the survey results: the lower the household income, the more negative the verdict. With a monthly net income of less than 2,500 euros, only 16 percent believe that the current measures are sufficient, 80 percent want the government to do more. The interim report is also negative among supporters of the traffic light coalition. Respondents with a preference for the Greens make the most positive judgment - 33 percent consider the measures to be sufficient - the most negative judgment is given by AfD supporters, of whom only 9 percent do so.
Energy and food prices are rising sharply because of the Ukraine war, and currency devaluation is happening faster than ever before in reunified Germany: it was 7.9 percent in May year-on-year. In another survey, almost half of Germans stated that they had to restrict themselves very much or very much in their everyday lives. In the case of households with low incomes, this was even said by 77 percent.
According to the survey for RTL/ntv, a total of 86 percent do not believe that the tax cuts for the tank discount will also be passed on to customers. 12 percent are hopeful that mineral oil companies and gas station operators will do exactly this and thus relieve the burden on German citizens one-to-one. There was no recognizable connection with the income level or with the party preference in the answers. Gasoline prices rose on the Pentecost weekend.
When asked about the possible medium-term effect of the nine-euro ticket, 29 percent replied that more citizens would use public transport after it expired. More than two-thirds, 69 percent, disagreed. Even among supporters of the coalition parties, a clear majority believes that the four-month measure will not have any lasting effect.
Opinions on the fight against inflation and on individual measures taken by the federal government were collected by the market and opinion research institute Forsa on behalf of RTL Germany on June 2nd and 3rd, 2022. Database: 1001 respondents. Statistical error tolerance: /- 3 percentage points.
More information on ForsaForsa surveys commissioned by RTL Germany
