Survey Results on German Reunification (1951-89) Surveys of the West German population conducted between 1951 and 1989 showed widespread skepticism about whether Germany would be reunified in the near future. Nevertheless, there were greater hopes in 1989 as compared to previous decades due to reform efforts in both the Soviet Union and Poland.
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page 1 of 1 Question: “Do you expect that the division between the GDR and the Federal Republic will cease to exist in the foreseeable future and that a united Germany will emerge? 1951 % 1952 % 1953 % 1954 % 1955 % 1956 % 1957 % 1958 % 1959 % 1973 % 1983 % 1989 % Yes, absolutely 10 6 18 13 9 10 10 4 5 2 2 6 Yes, probably 17 15 25 24 18 22 21 14 16 7 5 17 Unsure 36 41 36 43 43 43 39 46 51 32 33 44 No 28 28 16 16 27 22 27 34 24 53 60 33 No response 9 10 5 4 3 3 3 2 4 6 -- 1 Source: „Wiedervereinigung als Möglichkeit im Zeitvergleich (1951-89)“ [“Reunificiation as a Possibility: A Comparison over Time (1951-89“], in Erwin K. Scheuch, Wie deutsch sind die Deutschen? Eine Nation wandelt ihr Gesicht [How German are the Germans? A Nation Changes its Face]. Bergisch Gladbach, 1991, table 43, p. 201.
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