BERLIN, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Only 37 percent of Germans supported a compulsory "social year" for young people to undertake after finishing school, according to a survey published by the Opaschowski Institute for Future Issues on Tuesday.
In East Germany, with 47 percent, the approval rate was significantly higher than in West Germany, where 35 percent were in favor of a social year of service.
At the same time, the survey found that most Germans supported the statement that "there is less and less room for egoism in our society. We need to stick together more".
"It is not the social year that is rejected by the majority, but the compulsory year. Duty is perceived as annoying and a loss of self-determination," said Horst Opaschowski, director of the institution.
In 2011, Germany abolished its compulsory military service and alternative "civilian service" which could be completed in social facilities such as hospitals, schools or homes for the elderly.
Now, more than 80,000 young people in Germany are completing social services on a voluntary basis every year, according to the German Ministry for Family Affairs.
This week, French President Macron introduced a one-month service with social studies and practical training, which is to become obligatory from 2026 for all young people who want to be admitted to the baccalaureate or driving test.
CDU party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer praised the introduction of the Service National Universel in France as an "exciting model", which she believed could strengthen tolerance, respect and a sense of responsibility, as well as promote integration.
The introduction of the service in France should be an incentive to discuss further about a service "for society" in Germany, Kramp-Karrenbauer told the news portal t-online and added that she was explicitly not seeking to reintroduce compulsory military conscription in Germany.
Last year, as CDU general secretary, Kramp-Karrenbauer had revived the debate in Germany about introducing a general duty of service for all citizens.
German public support for compulsory service is fluctuating. In August last year, for example, the ZDF Politbarometer survey found that around two thirds of Germans supported Kramp-Karrenbauer's idea of a general compulsory service.
A survey conducted by the market research institute Toluna in February also revealed that two thirds of Germans believed that a social year for school leavers should be compulsory, although only 26 percent "fully" agreed with the statement, while 38 percent were "rather" in favor.
