The German middle class is the pride of the Federal Republic.
It is true that this group has been getting a little smaller since the turn of the millennium.
But 58 percent of German citizens still belonged to this cohort in 2018, according to the SOEP.
Hardly any other country has had such a large and homogeneous middle class since time immemorial.
She is a model for success.
It also ensures that the income imbalance measured by the Gini index has remained at a relatively low level for years.
But now the virus threatens to split this middle class. While some save vacation pay, collect short-time work benefits, benefit from the stock market high and VAT cuts, others slide towards poverty.