December 2001 - Nr. 13
Germans Feel Closer Ties to U.S. in Wake of Terrorist Attacks
TWIG - Germans are becoming more comfortable with their national identity and their role within Europe, according the results of a poll released and reported in the Financial Times Deutschland Wednesday (November 28). The ipos Institute of Mannheim conducted the survey on the theme "The New Germany: National Identity and International Responsibility."
The poll shows that more Germans (71%) are proud of their nationality than they were when the question was last posed in 1993 (68%). Also up is the number of respondents who said they associate the phrase "typically German" with something positive. A remarkable 85% claimed to feel as proud of their country as the Americans, French or British do about their respective nations. Still, more Germans (78%) voiced pride in being European than in being German (71%). A majority (40%) believes that Germans are more open to European integration than other western European countries. A surprising 42% favor a common European state.
Pollsters attribute some of the changes to the September 11 terrorist attacks, saying, "Those who feel threatened from the outside turn inward." The attacks have also strengthened Germans’ feelings of solidarity with the United States: 58% of Germans now see the U.S. as Germany’s most important partner, up from 52% last year. A healthy 75% of Germans feel satisfied with Germany’s influence in the world. Meanwhile, the fight against terrorism has pushed Germans’ concerns about unemployment from first to second place.
