PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Today, German citizens are happier on average than at any other point in time since reunification. Although more than 20 years have passed, the level of happiness in eastern Germany is still significantly lower than that in western Germany. This is demonstrated by the most recent long-term Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study data gathered by DIW Berlinin cooperation with TNS Infratest Sozialforschung. The level of happiness measured in Germany in 2013 matched that of West Germany in 1984 (when the SOEP was initiated). For many years following reunification, life satisfaction was lower than it is at present. The lowest level in the period under observation was measured in 2004 and 2005, a phase of high unemployment. It can be said with high statistical certainty that people in eastern Germany are less happy overall than those in western Germany. However, further regional differentiations should generally be treated with caution: for example, the methodology does not allow researchers to conclude that Schleswig-Holstein’s population is the happiest or Brandenburg’s the unhappiest in Germany, on the basis of SOEP data. Measured regional differences in life satisfaction are too small to justify results like these. Rather, the SOEP surveys show that on average, it is possible to live quite well in all of the 16 Länder, and the majority of people living in Germany are quite happy with their lives overall.