30 years on, the divide between Eastern and Western Germany is still relevant
On November 9, Germany will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Pew Research Centre recently published an analysis focusing on the East-West divide three decades after the reunification process kicked-off.
What this work is it about
Pew conducted a survey among Eastern and Western German citizens to understand the state of the art of the historical socio-economic divide between the two formerly separate State entities during the Cold War. The results of the survey shed a light on topics such as: opinions relative to the German democratic order, visions about the future and the EU, sympathy for far-right parties, minorities and the importance of religious beliefs.
Why we like it
The study highlights how today discrepancies between the two areas are still relevant. To do so researchers takes under the loop a variety of variables, ranging from attitudes towards the political system and parties to more societal and personal questions. As a result, Pew is able to draw a comprehensive picture of the state of the divide. The publishing of the survey is timely as it can serve public debates on the topic to be based on factual evidence. Overall, the results prove that, on average, Eastern German citizens are less optimistic about the future and have lower trust in the EU. Also, the former are more likely to support far right parties and to hold negative attitudes towards minority groups. For Western German citizens, religion plays a more important role than the counterpart.
