According to a survey, people in Germany have high expectations of the welfare state - and are also willing to pay for it. The "Social State Radar 2026" survey presented on Wednesday shows "that people still want solidary security systems and that the privatization of social risks is rejected as an alternative by large sections of the population," said DGB board member Anja Piel in Berlin. This applies to the social security systems for pensions, health and care.
In the survey, 75 percent of the employees surveyed showed themselves willing to pay higher contributions if stable or better pension benefits are secured as a result. One in eight even showed themselves open to paying significantly higher contributions if the pension level is raised as a result.
"The welfare state is worth something to people," summarized Peer Rosenthal, Managing Director of the Bremen Chamber of Labour. "But they also know: good services are not free." Those who want security in case of illness or in old age must also finance the welfare state solidly - "and the vast majority of the insured are also prepared to do so," said Rosenthal.
The DGB and the Chambers of Labour of Bremen and Saarland, which commissioned the survey, interpreted the results as a rejection of a rollback of the welfare state. In Germany "actually only millionaires could manage with a weak welfare state," said Piel. For everyone else, the high co-payments for care, for example, are not affordable. "The mandate to politicians is clear: The security level must rise."
The existing differences between statutory and private insurance in the health and care sectors are perceived as unfair by a large majority, according to the study. A large majority spoke out in favor of more people having to pay into the security systems.
Almost 80 percent spoke out in favor of an end to private health and care insurance and for a citizens' insurance - including even a majority of the privately insured. In the "Social State Radar," 77 percent of respondents supported a joint pension insurance, and around 60 percent wanted to limit or abolish personal contributions in care.
According to the authors of the study, there is no discernible generational conflict over pensions: 71 percent of 18- to 29-year-old respondents are willing to pay higher contributions if the pension remains stable or is higher. 74 percent rejected a further increase in the statutory retirement age. More than half expressed the expectation that they would not be able to pursue their profession until the previous standard retirement age of 65.
The DGB and the Chambers of Labour derived a series of political demands from the results. "The welfare state does not fail due to a lack of money, but due to a lack of political courage for reliably good services," they write. "Those who want security must finance it fairly - for example through a larger circle of insured persons. Companies also have a responsibility here."
In public debate, the welfare state is "often portrayed as outdated, as inefficient and too expensive," the authors criticize. "However, this discourse about more personal provision does not reflect the preferences of the population."
The "Social State Radar" surveys fundamental positions on the welfare state and on the three major topic areas of health, care and pensions once a year. For the current survey, a total of around 3,000 people were surveyed from January 7 to 20, 2026.
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