According to a new survey, seven percent of respondents in Germany say their love life has deteriorated due to the financial stress of inflation. The report of a worse sex life is led by men (nine percent) and middle-aged adults, specifically those aged 25 to 44 (eleven percent).
More than one in three (34 percent) also say that inflation does not affect their well-being, with a higher-than-average share among older people, i.e., those over 55 years old.
The data come from a representative YouGov survey commissioned by Kleinanzeigen.de (formerly Ebay-Kleinanzeigen). The poll, conducted at the end of June, surveyed more than 2,000 adults.
Many adults feel more anxious and stressed
According to the survey, more than a quarter of adults (26 percent) feel more anxious and stressed than before inflation began. Around 18 percent report a lower sense of self-worth because they can afford less. This is most pronounced among 25- to 34-year-olds (25 percent). Women report it more often (20 percent) than men (16 percent).
Seventeen percent of those surveyed say friendships suffered because they are currently doing fewer activities with friends. Among younger adults, specifically those aged 18 to 24, this figure is above average (21 percent). They are also the group most likely to agree that they have less money for dates and less desire for them (19 percent). Overall, only about one in ten (11 percent) say so.
Partially deceptive price increases
The mood seems pessimistic. The responses are partly based on mistaken assumptions and on a feeling that has crept in and solidified over the past few years.
Three quarters (78 percent) believe that groceries have grown more expensive year over year. More than half (53 percent) report noticing a rise in energy prices. Almost as many (52 percent) say services have become more expensive.
But while groceries and services have actually risen by 2.0 percent and 3.3 percent respectively in the year-over-year comparison, energy prices fell by about 3.5 percent. In June, the inflation rate stood at just 2.0 percent (0.2 percentage points lower than in June 2024).
The highest inflation rate in Germany since reunification was measured nearly three years ago. In October and November 2022, it stood at 8.8 percent.
