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If you think Germany is efficient and decisive, you probably don’t live here. From unreliable passenger rail to long waits for public services, to too few doctor appointments and preschool spots, German institutions seem increasingly unable to meet the everyday needs of the population they serve.
That has not gone unnoticed by the public at large. Just 27% of people in Germany have the sense that the state is able to fulfill its responsibilities. That is the overall result of a survey by the German Civil Servant Association (dbb), which was released this week.
The figure is a new low.
The dbb conducts the survey annually. While public administration saw a boost in confidence during pandemic years 2020 and 2021 — with 56% and 45% of respondents, respectively, expressing confidence in the state’s functions — the latest figures are seven percentage points lower than in 2019, the final year before the pandemic.
Looking for leadership
The results are “alarming,” Ulrich Silberbach, the dbb chairperson, told reporters on Tuesday (August 15).
“What the public wants — and, for that matter, civil servants, too — is very simple: The state should fulfill its tasks and be there for people,” he said. “They don’t want a different state, but an efficient one.”
Increased doubt in the system reflects changing times. It is not only due to the end of the pandemic, during which rules and services strongly intervened in people’s everyday lives, but also a new political environment.
Angela Merkel, whose long-serving chancellorship ended at the close of 2021, was widely respected and enjoyed a period of political consensus. When COVID-19 struck Germany, the normally aloof leader gave more interviews and public remarks. Support for her party and trust in government functions skyrocketed, even amid pandemic-skeptic protests.
Merkel’s successor, Olaf Scholz, has been criticized for addressing the public too little. He isn’t seen putting a stop to policy disagreements among his center-left coalition government of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP), which at least appear to be mired in continuous internal squabbling.
“We are living in a time in which the public needs orientation and leadership,” Silberbach said. “We have someone in the chancellery who once said, ‘Those who ask leadership from me, get it.’ But the public does not seem to have registered that.”
Impacts on public perception
Scholz’s approval rating is around 43% — a new low — according to the Politbaromenter, a regular poll by public broadcaster, ZDF, on Friday.
The dbb survey results align with broader trends in public perspectives. The monthly DeutschlandTREND, by pollster infratest dimap, has tracked steadily increasing divisions and dissatisfaction in German society. One consequence has been surging support for the far-right populist party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Silberbach expressed concern about the apparent rise in the “societal stress level,” especially between former West and East Germany. There is a correlation between a particularly strong affinity for the AfD in the East, the former GDR, and more widespread doubts about the state’s ability to provide for its citizens.
Public attitudes are shaped not only by demonstrable events but also by media representation and political rhetoric. At the federal level, the opposition has been effective at portraying the government as too distracted with internal squabbling and unable to lead. Whether on combating greenhouse gas emissions or reforming social benefits, a number of policy goals have either failed to make it into law or required significant amendments to pass.
This week, a “growth opportunity” bill put forward by the FDP stalled when the family minister, the Greens’ Lisa Paus, criticized it for putting tax breaks for companies ahead offunding for child welfare.
Cutting red tape
It is one of several new bills or ministry regulations that many in the coalition are touting as the answer to Germany’s “jungle of bureaucracy,” as Economy Minister Robert Habeck called it in a recent interview with the Rheinische Post, a regional newspaper.
Despite the latest snag, Scholz told attendees of a business event on Wednesday that his cabinet will sign off on the “growth opportunity” bill before the end of the month.
“With it, we are breaking down bureaucracy and promoting investment, especially in research and development and in climate-friendly production,” he said.
In a nod to increasing nervousness about the state of the German economy, he added: “Above all, however, we are easing the burden on companies across the board.”
The civil service and elected government are two sides of the same bureaucratic coin. Frustration with one seeps into displeasure at the other. The dbb noted as “completely unacceptable” more than half of civil servants who reported being the victim of verbal or physical assault.
“We, therefore, call for an overarching digitalization of public administration, the reduction of bureaucratic obstacles, doing away with overregulation and pointless reporting requirements, and the acceleration of approval and application procedures,” Frank Zitka, dbb’s spokesperson, told DW in a statement.
While civil servants have some leeway in how they implement or enforce laws and regulations, ultimately the burden lies with lawmakers to streamline bureaucracy and provide the funding for a smoother operation.
Edited by: Rina Goldenberg
While you’re here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.
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