Germans Say Everyday Politeness Is Declining

A YouGov survey carried out for language app Babbel finds most people in Germany feel everyday interactions have become less friendly, even though a large majority still consider themselves polite. Overall, 59% believe the tone of daily life is harsher than it was five years ago, while 85% rate themselves as courteous. Older respondents were more likely to perceive a decline: 65% of Baby Boomers said manners had worsened, compared with 39% of younger people. Regionally, residents ranked Hamburg as the most polite city and Bremen as the least. Road traffic emerged as the main hotspot for rudeness (61%), whereas just 15% singled out the workplace as particularly unfriendly. Differences by political support were smaller: 10% of Left party backers reported tone problems, versus 16% of CDU/CSU supporters and 15% of Social Democrat voters; the highest concern came from supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany and the populist-left BSW, both at 19%. Babbel said the findings point to a perceived need to improve everyday courtesy, especially in direct, face-to-face interactions.