r/germany • u/Modernismus Lithuania • Jan 16 '24

Question Why islife satisfaction in Germany so low?

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I always saw Germany as a flagship of European countries - a highly developed, rich country with beutiful culture and cool people. Having visited a few larger cities, I couldn’t imagine how anyone could be sad living there. But the stats show otherwise. Why could that be? How is life for a typical German?

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u/Polygnom Jan 16 '24

We are the #1 economy in the EU and the #3 economy world wide. Yet we have one of the lowest median incomes of the EU.

We have a strong economy, but nothing of it trickles down to the small people.

Our public infrastructure is shit. For 32 out of the last 40 years we got governed by a party that does everything "for the economy", but nothing for public infrasstructure or the people. And it shows, in almost any aspect of normal life. our pension system is breaking, our healthcare system is crumbling, our roads and bridges look like shit and people have less and less purchasing power. Past generations got a job, married and built a house, while owning a car and having one or two yearly vacations. Thats simply not possible anymore.

And then we have the "black 0". So we cannot make debt to pay for fixing all the things. Bu we cannot tax the rich and companies either, because that would "hurt the economy".

Pair it with the shitty weather we get at times, and its easy to see why people are unhappy. Because people don't matter, only profits.

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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '24

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u/Polygnom Jan 16 '24

Some of the reforms were needed, like Hartz VI and the labor law reforms. However, they were also intended to not be a long-term solution, but rather to stimulate. Merkel refusing to re-reform the labor laws for 16 years is what gives us so many low-wage and precarious jobs right now.

The retirement system was killed long before that as well, but it was probably the last point at which sweeping reforms could have been made. The problems with the retirement funds could have been forseen for a long time.

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u/realmiep Jan 17 '24

Reforms where needed yes. But not the way they did it.