Money worries dominate German fears
The top concerns of Germans this year revolve around finances. In first place by far is the fear of rising living costs (67 percent). In second place, at 58 percent, is the fear that housing will become unaffordable. 57 percent of citizens fear a recession, third place in this year’s study. A year-on-year comparison shows a jump of 17 percentage points, just like the fear of rising prices. The fear of a war with German participation has increased the most. This is shown by the representative long-term study “The fears of the Germans 2022” by the R+V Versicherung information center.
What distinguishes fair car insurance?
When it comes to car insurance, people in Germany are particularly interested in cheap insurance premiums. 23 percent of respondents state this as the most important aspect. In the event of damage, a large part of the German population would like quick help. 20 percent of those surveyed name quick claims settlement as the most important criterion for fair vehicle insurance, closely followed by broad coverage of possible damage (19 percent). This emerges from the fairness radar of Huk-Coburg.
Homeowners want to save
The growing pressure from high energy prices and ongoing inflation is driving homeowners to save. This is the result of a representative survey by the independent mortgage broker Baufi24. 77.4 percent of those surveyed would like to save in general, 58.1 percent are planning energy-saving measures and 26.8 percent of owners want to make energy-saving renovations. When it comes to saving, 24 percent of the survey participants rely on more energy-efficient devices and 32.1 percent say they want to heat less. 40 percent of the homeowners surveyed would forego a trip, and 47.9 percent would like to reduce their spending on leisure time. 29.7 percent want to save on fuel costs.
A third of Germans are in favor of abolishing the withholding tax
The equity culture in Germany is evolving. 36.5 percent of Germans own equity-based financial investments. Six months ago it was 32.5 percent. After all, 69.1 percent of the citizens surveyed consider advice to be necessary when it comes to equity-based investments, almost half of them especially in the case of demanding and long-term investments. In addition, 42.3 percent of those surveyed would like state subsidies for long-term share saving and 34.3 percent would like to see the final withholding tax abolished.
Germans invest less because of high household bills
Globally, one in five retail investors (18 percent) is cutting back investments to pay rising household bills; in Germany even more than 23 percent do this. 16 percent do this to save a nest egg, compared to 20 percent of German survey participants. 13 percent of Germans said they are holding back cash to invest once markets recover. This is according to the Retail Investor Report from the social investing platform eToro.
More than twice as many men own shares than women
On average, women have significantly less risk-oriented assets than men and have significantly more defensive assets. While 46 percent of male respondents said they invest in stocks, only 22 percent of women did. Almost half of the men had equity funds, while among the female respondents it was just slightly more than one in three (35 percent). On the other hand, more defensive investments such as savings accounts (women: 66 percent, men 53 percent), home savings contracts (women: 42 percent, men 35 percent) or mixed funds (women: 28 percent, men 22 percent) were more common among women. This is shown by a study by the market research institute Kantar for Union Investment.
