Berlin - According to a study by the German Economic Institute (IW), a clear majority of citizens are in favor of more new debt for higher government investments in defense and infrastructure. According to this, 41 percent of those surveyed are in favor of loosening the debt brake, according to the results of an as yet unpublished survey quoted by the "Rheinische Post" in its Thursday edition. In addition, there are another 36 percent who want to keep it in principle, but want to open up the debt brake for certain areas of responsibility. "Three out of four respondents who initially voted generally for keeping the debt brake named at least one area of topic in a follow-up question for which politicians should loosen the debt brake," says the IW study. This means that the proportion of unconditional supporters of the debt brake drops to 12.6 percent. For supporters of the CDU/CSU and SPD, higher defense spending is the most important motive for higher new debt. For supporters of the Greens, on the other hand, climate protection ranks first. The strongest support for the current debt rules can be found among AfD supporters, according to the IW. "From an economic point of view, it depends on what loans are taken out for. Investments in infrastructure and transformation justify loan financing from a regulatory policy perspective, as they mostly benefit future generations. This also applies to investments in educational institutions and the research landscape," writes the institute.
"The voters' preferences, some of which are strongly consumerist, underline that when discussing the debt brake or the establishment of a special fund, a clear limitation on future spending should be ensured," says the IW. The institute cites an online survey conducted among 3,288 adults from December 10 to 18, 2024.
