More Germans worry about climate change than terror attacks: survey

A survey into Germans' greatest fear in the lead up to the national election showed that 71 percent of respondents were most concerned about climate change, while fewer respondents, or 63 percent, feared terror attacks the most, local media reported on Tuesday.


The poll was conducted by research group Kantar Emnid Institute on behalf of publishing group Funke Mediengruppe among 1,000 participants, who were asked to list their biggest fears.

The results were published on DerWest, the online news portal of the publishing group.

Apart from climate change and terrorism, 65 percent of the polled said they were most concerned about the possibility of new wars, and 62 percent listed crime as their biggest fear.

Less than half of the respondents, or 45 percent, listed the immigration of refugees into the country as their biggest concern.

"Environment and climate protection have already greatly mattered to people in Germany for years," Torsten Schneider-Haase, head of political research at Kantar Emnid, was quoted by Funke Mediengruppe as saying.

The fact that most of those polled did show concern for security issues like wars, crime and terrorist attacks could have an implication for how people ultimately vote in September, Schneider-Haase added.

While receiving the most refugees and asylum-seekers from the Middle East countries, Germany in recent years has suffered several terrorist attacks.

One of the most deadly took place in December last year, when a truck was deliberately driven into a Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, leaving 12 people dead and 56 others injured.
  [globaltimes.cn/Xinhua]
2/8/17