16 % of Germans polled by Emnid for Bild said rebuilding the Wall "would be the best thing that could happen" (AFP, 2010). Nearly one in four "sometimes think it would be better if the Berlin Wall were still there" claimed the AFP report, adding that there was very little difference between the former East (23%) and West (24%) Germans for the division to be recreated.
In 2009, Pew Research Center conducted a on the level of satisfaction survey across the former Eastern countries (Pew Research Center, 2009). Their research shows that in both former-East and -West Germany, people are less positive about the unification than they were 20 years ago. Overall, there is more positive opinion in the former East [fig.1].
[fig.1]Opinions of German Reunification
*The question wording was slightly different
There is a stark gap in how the unification has affected their life, where majority in East say their life is better off, majority of the people polled in the West feel that they were not affected [fig.2].
[fig.2] How Life has Changed as a Result of Unification
[fig.3] Satisfaction with Life
There is another gap in East-West perception over satisfaction with life [fig.3]. Between 1991 and 2009, there is 28% rise in satisfaction in East, a slight decrease in West. In comparison to other East European nations, the Germans favour democratic government over strong leader [fig.4].
[fig.4] Democratic Government vs. Strong Leader
How the German people perceive the issue of unification varies, traits being evident between the East-West groups.
AFP (2010) Survey Finds Support for Return of Berlin Wall. [online] http://www.france24.com/en/20100315-survey-finds-support-return-berlin-wall [23/03/2010]
Pew Research Center (2009) Highlights from 2009 Pulse of Europe Survey. [online] http://pewglobal.org/docs/?DocID=26 [23/03/2010]
