Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 9, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleGerman consumer pessimism is rising due to economic and political concerns, with 62% viewing the economy negatively, according to a BCG survey.
By Maria Martinez
BERLIN (Reuters) -The economic and political sentiment among consumers in Germany is increasingly worsening, a European survey by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) showed on Tuesday.
The study shows that 62% of Germans view the economic situation negatively, marking an increase of 10 percentage points from the previous year. Similarly, two-thirds express dissatisfaction with the political climate.
The survey, conducted in April among 16,000 consumers across nine European countries, shows that in France and Britain, negative assessments of the economic situation are even more critical, at 70%.
In Germany, almost a third of consumers are worried about their personal financial situation, compared with only 25% last year. Despite declining inflation rates, 70% of respondents are afraid of further price increases, the survey showed.
The perception of geopolitical risks, however, is significantly lower.
Although the survey coincided with the announcement of global tariff increases by the U.S. government in early April, this was a reason for concern for less than a third of the surveyed Europeans.
"Consumers focus on visible price increases, underestimating how strongly trade conflicts can influence prices and supply," said Karin von Funck, senior partner and consumer goods expert at BCG.
(Reporting by Maria Martinez, Editing by Miranda Murray)
62% of Germans view the economic situation negatively, which is an increase of 10 percentage points from the previous year.
Almost a third of consumers in Germany are worried about their personal financial situation, compared to 25% last year.
Less than a third of the surveyed Europeans expressed concern about the global tariff increases announced by the U.S. government.
The perception of geopolitical risks is significantly lower among consumers, indicating that they are more focused on visible price increases.
The survey indicated that negative assessments of the economic situation are even more critical in France and Britain, where 70% of consumers expressed dissatisfaction.
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