BERLIN, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The destabilization of international relations by U.S. President Donald Trump is the single biggest fear of Germans, a representative survey published on Thursday by the R+V insurance company found.
The closely-watched "Fears of the Germans" survey is published on annual basis by R+V since 1992. According to this year's poll, 69 percent of respondents agreed that a "more dangerous world due to the policies of U.S. President Trump" was a source of concern. It hereby ranked ahead of "excessive pressures on Germans and local authorities from refugees" (63 percent) and "tensions created by immigration" (63 percent).
The list of the biggest fears of Germans further included overwhelmed politicians (61 percent), terrorism (59 percent), the costs of the European Union (EU) sovereign debt crisis (58 percent), and political extremism (57 percent). 56 percent of respondents also pointed to catastrophes and becoming falling into ill health in old age (52 percent) as highly worrying prospects.
Commenting on the result on Thursday, Manfred Schmidt, a political scientist at the University of Heidelberg, emphasized in a press interview at the university that the "survey was more political than ever" in 2018. Schmidt argued concerns about the destabilizing effect of Trump on the global order were justified in light of his unpredictable foreign policy.
The findings were based on a survey of 2,335 respondents between June and July 2018. Participants were asked to evaluate 21 themes on a scale ranging from 1 (no fears) to 7 (very large fears). "It was important to use to cover a broad spectrum of themes surrounding politics, economics, environment, family and health", Brigitte Roemstedt, director of the R+V infocenter, told the press.
