Ukraine war lets optimism of the people in Baden-Wrttemberg collapse – great willingness to help – southwest

The Russian war of aggression against the Ukraine has massively worsened the mood of the population in Baden-Wrttemberg. Two thirds of the citizens look to the next twelve months with fear or skepticism, only a quarter with hopes. This is the result of a representative survey by the Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy on behalf of the newspaper publishers in Baden-Württemberg. Nationwide data, which has been measuring the mood of the population since 1949, shows: “Never before has optimism about the future been as low as it is now.”

The researchers led by institute director Renate Kcher write: “As a result of the corona pandemic, which has been going on for two years, the mood among the population was rather subdued. But with the outbreak of war, the sharp rise in energy prices, concerns about the security of energy supply and the general Concerns about inflation have completely eroded the population’s optimism about the future.” The survey was conducted in late March, about a month after Russia invaded Ukraine.

However, the BaW check also shows the widespread willingness to help among the population. A majority is in favor of taking in war refugees from Ukraine without an upper limit, only a small minority wants to grant no or only a few people protection.

The opinion polls say: “The mood towards the people who fled the war in Ukraine is completely different from that of the wave of refugees in 2015/16,” when the willingness to take them in was significantly lower.

According to the citizens, the personal willingness and openness to even take in refugees from the Ukraine in one’s home often fails due to the spatial conditions. After all, 12 percent of Baden-Württemberg residents would have the opportunity to take in war refugees at home.

Irrespective of the personal possibilities of the citizens of Baden-Württemberg: According to the survey, the basic willingness to take refugees from the Ukraine into their homes is extremely high:

In addition to the question of how to help the war refugees, people in Baden-Württemberg are also concerned with the consequences of the war in their everyday lives. According to their own statements, the prices for petrol, diesel, heating oil and natural gas, which have risen further as a result of the Russian attack, are a “massive burden” for a quarter of households and they bring them into “great financial difficulties”.

How do the citizens rate the Federal Government’s concepts for cushioning the burden of the enormously expensive energy? Here the picture is decidedly mixed. 69 percent of those surveyed by the Allensbach researchers believe that a tax cut on fuel is the right thing to do. This was decided by the traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP – limited to three months. On the other hand, only twelve percent find the fuel discount brought into play by Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) sensible, just eight percent the increase in the commuter allowance.

No majority found the idea put forward by green politicians and environmental protection groups to set a general speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour on German autobahns to save fuel. The suggestion received particularly little support from those who regularly drive their car. The pollsters interpret this result as follows: “The great skepticism about a speed limit is essentially due to the fact that the population expects only limited savings potential from a more economical driving style.”

A majority of the population surveyed stated that they had changed their everyday behavior or would like to change it in order to save energy and thus reduce their expenses somewhat: Almost half of them do without some car trips or intend to do so, a third do it at home Turn down the heating controls a bit. Less than one in five people use public transport more often – or plan to do so in the near future.

Putin’s war in Ukraine and its consequences have not only shaken the faith of many people in the southwest in a positive future – they have also called into question old certainties about energy policy in the eyes of the people. Only six percent of the population still consider the German energy supply to be secure – mainly because of the high dependence on Russian natural gas. In earlier surveys, two-thirds of the population saw the German energy supply as secure, the pollsters report.

An energy source that has so far been viewed very critically by the majority has many new fans: nuclear power. “Even before the outbreak of war, the formerly broad support for the decision to phase out nuclear energy by the end of 2022 had gradually declined,” write the researchers. The new BaW check shows that the mood has now shifted in favor of nuclear energy. An extension of the service life of the nuclear power plants still in operation is “suddenly not only conceivable for many, but desirable,” write the opinion polls. Even among younger people under the age of 30, more people are in favor than against.

From the point of view of the population, the demand for an extension of the service life of the nuclear power plants still in operation does not conflict with a rapid expansion of renewable energy sources. At the same time, 60 percent are in favor of a rapid expansion of wind power. Only the majority of AfD sympathizers are skeptical about wind power.

In practice, however, long-term planning processes often stand in the way of an accelerated expansion of wind power. In order to accelerate the expansion of wind power, Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) has therefore proposed shortening the approval times for new windmills by reducing the opportunities for citizens to object. According to the survey, the majority of people in Baden-Wrttemberg would have no problem with this:

The expansion of wind power in Germany has generally been supported by a large majority for many years. As previous surveys have shown, it only became more critical when it came to the expansion in front of one’s own front door. According to their own statements, a clear majority of Baden-Wrttemberg residents would currently also accept the construction of a wind turbine in the immediate vicinity. According to their own statements, 58 percent would not be bothered if a wind turbine were set up near where they live.

Coping with the economic consequences of the corona pandemic, the current measures to support Ukraine, the planned relief packages as a result of the increased energy prices – all this leads to considerable additional expenditure by the state. As a result of this additional expenditure, not only the federal government, but also the federal states will be forced to reduce their expenditure in the future. According to the Ba-W-Check, however, the population finds it difficult to name specific areas in which Baden-Württemberg should make savings in the future. It is striking that more than a quarter of those questioned would cut back on cultural funding.

The bottom line is that the survey shows, writes the team led by institute director Renate Kcher: “The war in Ukraine, concerns about the security of the energy supply, rising energy prices and general concerns about inflation have left their mark on the population of Baden-Württemberg. The optimism about the future of the Bürger is deeply shocked. Many are massively affected by the high prices for electricity, heating and fuel.” Against this background, the energy policy priorities have also shifted from the point of view of the population: the primary goal is independence from Russian natural gas supplies.