Picture No. 1613, source: Postbank / © Monkey Business Images
–
–
There is hardly a topic that people in this country keep silent about as persistently as about money. For 70 percent of Germans, discussions about finances are taboo, according to a recent Kantar survey commissioned by Postbank. The majority avoid talking in public not only about debts (60 percent), investments (59 percent) and their income (44 percent), but also about their economic successes. According to the survey, 39 percent of those questioned describe themselves as financially successful, but prefer to keep it to themselves. Only just under six percent of German citizens (5.5 percent) who say they have a good hand in financial matters make no secret of this. “Germany is one of the most jealous countries,” says psychologist and book author Dr. Wolfgang Krüger firmly. “People are afraid of the envy of others when they are financially successful.” Many Germans are ashamed of the fact that they earn little. Nevertheless, it is apparently easier for German citizens to admit financial failures than to show economic success: 34 percent of those who are not particularly financially successful deal with it openly, 21 percent prefer to keep a low profile, according to the Postbank survey.
From rags to riches
According to Dr. Wolfgang Krüger has a claim to equality and justice that is much less pronounced in the USA, for example. Obviously it is almost indecent in this country to earn more than your neighbor – especially if you rub it under your nose. Across the Atlantic, people see themselves motivated by the economic success of others. After all, in principle everyone has the chance to rise from dishwasher to millionaire. “When people are pilloried for success, it can have a negative impact on entrepreneurship. Why should you take an entrepreneurial risk when you are confronted with envy and resentment if you are successful? ”Says Iris Laduch from Postbank. A small ray of hope: Young people communicate more than average that things are going well for them in financial matters. Eleven percent of those under 30 also speak about financial success in public – that’s twice as many as the average (5.5 percent).
–
– .
