GHDI logo


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.

print version     return to document list previous document      first document in next chapter

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.

first page < previous   |   next page > last page