This may not sound like a huge jump but for researchers, it is telling. For Germans, who otherwise are considered laden with angst and acutely aware of their security, it means the terrorism threats and societal developments such as migration have not put a damper on the level of contentment in their private lives. Ratings of happiness in the eastern part of Germany, however were lower than in the west.

Some factors that can influence the satisfaction ratings are income and health. But researchers point out that the unemployment rate decreased from 11.7 percent in 2005 to 6.4 percent in 2011, and that didn’t shake the ratings scale. Bernd Raffelhüschen, financial scientist at Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg, and one of the authors of the Glückatlas (Atlas of Contentment) explains, “Germany has been experiencing a boom for the last eight years with more income and buying power.” Maybe that moved the numbers up.

The study doesn’t measure emotional happiness or things like a lottery win. It’s about long term perception of one’s own life, wishes, goals and expectations. Germany came in ninth place in Europe in terms of ratings, while Denmark was the most happy.

Raffelhüschen suspects that differing perceptions of the refugee situation may contribute to the lower contentment ratings in the east. Responding to questions about cultural diversity, only around half of those surveyed in the east saw migration as a gain, while in the west it was more than two thirds. Those who personally had contact with refugees were more willing to help them with integration (58 percent) while only a third (29 percent) who didn’t have contact were inclined to help. An interesting connection made from the study: the more tolerant and willing to help people were, the happier they were.

(Orig. text: Ulrike von Leszczynski), dpa)