Germans fear Trump’s policies more than Covid-19

Germans are not as concerned about the negative impact of Covid-19 as they are about US president Donald Trump's foreign policy.

An annual survey, conducted by the R+V Insurance Group, concluded that 53 percent of German respondents feel Trump's politics is making the world a more dangerous place. 

The R+V Insurance Group has been conducting surveys to gauge the fears of people living in Germany since 1992.

Quoting a political scientist, Manfred Schmidt of the Ruprecht-Karls-University, the survey noted Trump's "trade-war-like conflicts with China and security policy attacks against allies, including Germany '' were causing wide reaching anxieties in Europe, especially in Germany. 

In addition, the withdrawal of the United States from international cooperation, and their confrontation with Iran, have worsened their insecurities. 

The fear of coronavirus, however, took the 17th spot in the survey as only around a third of people said they were concerned that they, or someone they knew well, would get Covid-19.

Germany has implemented strong anti-Covid-19 measures, keeping the virus at bay and preventing its population from community transmissions. It is by far the most successful European country in the fight against the pandemic, boasting a significantly low fatality rate. 

Head of the R+V Infocenter, Brigitte Romstedt, told German media that the pandemic has not caused any panic in German society and whatever small worries they had "seem to be subsiding". 

While most countries are concerned about the second wave of the pandemic, the fear of falling seriously ill, both due to Covid-19 and other diseases, has decreased from 35 to 32 percent compared to last year. 

Economy is the priority 

About 42 percent of the survey respondents believe that globalisation could lead to more pandemics in the future.

"Given the rapid spread of the virus worldwide, we had expected higher figures. According to our findings, people are much more afraid that the virus could threaten their economic well-being rather than their health," Romstedt said.

For example, after Trump's policymaking, the fear of the increase in the cost of living is the second most worrisome scenario among Germans. About 51 percent of the respondents said that rising inflation was making their anxieties worse. 

The fear of the influx of migrants in Germany has however declined the most, it is at its lowest rate in five years.

According to the survey, confidence in politics and politicians has increased in recent years. Just 40 percent of respondents felt that politicians were not up to their job.