The war in the Ukraine, the resulting rise in prices, especially for heating oil, gas and petrol, and the discussion about whether Germany and Europe can afford to do without Russian natural gas and oil, have raised the issue of how energy supplies should be used has not been raised in the consciousness of the population for decades.

In March of this year, in a representative survey conducted by the Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy, when asked what was currently causing them great concern, 71 percent said that price increases were causing them great concern, and 62 percent expressed concern that the energy supply might not be secure.

In the same poll, 86 percent said they feared there would be energy supply difficulties in the next few years;

In 2019, the value was still 26 percent.

Many feel the inflation concretely in everyday life

The concerns of the population about the sharp rise in energy prices are not, as is the case with many other opinions on political issues, solely or predominantly a reaction to media reports, but also the result of daily personal experience.

Many Germans feel the inflation very concretely in everyday life and react to it with changes in behavior.

This is shown by the results of the current Allensbach survey commissioned by the FAZ

For example, to the question "As far as you can foresee: How much will the increased prices for heating affect you, or how much will these increased prices probably affect you?" 68 percent answered that they would affect prices very much or very much.

It doesn't make a big difference whether someone has gas, oil or other heating in the household.

68 percent of users of district heating also said that the heating costs would burden them very heavily or heavily, and 62 percent of those who heat with wood or wood pellets.

The price increases are by no means only affecting consumers of heating oil or gas.

Complaint about the increased fuel prices

The burden of the rise in petrol prices is felt to be similarly strong.

61 percent of drivers, or 51 percent of all those surveyed, stated that they were very or very heavily burdened by the high prices for petrol and diesel.

However, given the current price level, this is not a particularly high value.

In September 2021, when the price of petrol was around 50 cents and diesel around 60 cents below the current level, 47 percent of those surveyed, only slightly fewer than in the current survey, complained that they were putting a very heavy or heavy burden on fuel prices.

In earlier phases of high petrol prices, such as 2008 and 2010 to 2012, the proportion of those who gave these answers was even higher than today, at times well over 60 percent.

Nevertheless, the current phase of high prices obviously means a considerable burden, which for motorists is hardly less than the financial burden of heating costs.

Frequent drivers who drive 20,000 kilometers or more a year even said 45 percent that they were very heavily burdened by the petrol prices, another 33 percent spoke of a heavy burden.