Despite numerous governmental measures designed to ensure peace of mind and prosperity for families in Germany, fewer and fewer people believe that the federal republic is actually a family-friendly country, according to a new survey. 

Adults see Germany as less and less child-friendly

Less than half of the adults surveyed by Forsa on behalf of the German Children’s Fund said they thought that Germany was a family-friendly country. 48 percent said the federal republic was a good place to live for families, while 43 percent said that Germany was not family-friendly. 

This is a significant drop since the last time the survey was conducted in 2018, when the children’s charity found that 56 percent of all adults thought Germany was a family-friendly country. It’s an even further slip since 2015, when the figure was 58 percent. 

“The neglect of children’s interests, the closure of play streets, the neglect or dismantling of children’s playgrounds, lawsuits against child noise, and restaurants and hotels where children are not even allowed, are a sign of a child-waned and in some places even child-hostile society,” said the President of the German Children’s Fund, Thomas Krüger. 

36 percent feel government does not give parents sufficient support

For the survey, respondents were asked to pinpoint things they thought were important for creating a child-friendly society. 99 percent said it was important to protect children from violence, while 95 percent said the government should provide sufficient play and leisure opportunities, and also take children’s interests into account even in times of crisis like the coronavirus pandemic. 

However, respondents felt that these things weren’t sufficiently fulfilled in Germany, with only 17 percent saying they thought that children’s interests were sufficiently taken into account in times of crisis. Only 28 percent said that children were well-protected against violence. 

Just 36 percent were satisfied with the support given to parents in Germany, in terms of things like childcare, child benefits and parental leave, and 46 percent said that children were provided with good play and leisure opportunities in Germany.