A good every second German has no sympathy for the latest strike at Deutsche Bahn.

53 percent of the respondents expressed themselves accordingly in a Yougov survey for the news agency dpa.

On the other hand, 36 percent understand the action.

The train drivers' union had paralyzed large parts of the train traffic for around five days by Tuesday morning.

It was their third strike in the current collective bargaining round.

Further labor disputes are possible.

YouGov surveyed 2030 women and men aged 18 and over online from September 6-8.

The strike during the holiday season hit commuters as well as holidaymakers, and the third strike in passenger traffic also lasted over the weekend.

Around every seventh German citizen was affected by the work stoppages according to the representative survey.

Who is responsible?

The GDL and Deutsche Bahn have not yet been able to agree on a deal despite months of wage disputes.

The GDL calls for income improvements as in the public service and fights against changes to the company pension system of the railways.

In addition to train drivers and train attendants, she also wants to conclude framework collective agreements for employees in the workshops and in the infrastructure as well as for trainees.

According to the survey, however, the Germans do not see a person primarily responsible for the messy situation.

Around every second thinks that both sides should move towards the other equally.

25 percent see primarily the union on the train, 19 percent see Deutsche Bahn.

According to its own statements, the railway was able to offer 25 to 30 percent of the usual capacity during the strike, and around 40 percent in regional traffic.

However, the company called for unnecessary trips to be postponed.

In fact, not all of the customers affected by the strike wanted to rely on the trains.

48 percent opted for other modes of transport, at least in part, such as private cars, buses or rental cars, while 36 percent avoided journeys in some cases.

Only 31 percent said unreservedly: "I took the train anyway."

For critics of the strike and the GDL, the union is damaging the targeted traffic turnaround with its labor disputes.

In order to improve Germany's carbon footprint, the federal government wants to encourage significantly more people to switch from cars and planes to trains.

However, some rail customers are skeptical about the strikes.

19 percent of those affected expect that they will generally travel less by train in the future.

At 61 percent, however, the majority said: "The rail strike has no effect on my future travel behavior."