Decency and propriety appear to retain a high status in Germany, yet a large majority of the population observes that this sense of proper conduct is diminishing in everyday life. This finding comes from an Insam survey commissioned by the news portal T-Online.
The survey reveals that 88 percent of respondents consider decency important, with 55 percent deeming it “very important.” Simultaneously, 82 percent believe that proper behavior is declining in society, and 52 percent view the shift as “significant.”
This perception of decline is particularly pronounced among older individuals. While 67 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds perceive a downturn, this figure rockets to 95 percent among those over 70. This age trend runs parallel to the recognition of decency’s importance in daily life, which also increases with age, ranging from 72 percent among the youngest groups to 99 percent in the oldest cohort.
A sharper contrast emerges when analyzing data by socioeconomic class. Among lower-income groups, 88 percent are convinced that decent behavior is declining, and 86 percent share this view in the middle class. Conversely, only 50 percent of those in the upper class hold this assessment, and 44 percent in this group observe an “increase” in proper conduct-a marked contrast compared to just six percent of the lower-income groups.
A similar socioeconomic disparity is evident when examining the overall societal mood. Only seven percent of lower-income residents rate the societal climate positively, while this figure rises to 44 percent in the upper class. Overall, 83 percent of Germans describe the societal mood negatively, which is a significant increase from 69 percent recorded in June 2025. The middle class has seen the most noticeable darkening of this picture; the share of positive ratings has dropped from 21 percent to ten percent since the previous year’s survey.
For this latest collection of data, Insam surveyed 1,001 people aged 18 and over in Germany online between October 1 and 2, 2026.
