Science – Mainz – People in big cities are happier – Knowledge

Mainz (dpa) – Residents of cities in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate are more satisfied with politics in the state than residents of rural areas, but residents of medium-sized cities are the most dissatisfied. “Thiers, Koblenz, Mainz and Ludwigshafen are beacons of contentment,” said project director Uwe John while presenting the interim results of the first Rhineland-Palatinate observer on Wednesday in Mainz.

Political dissatisfaction and fears about the future are highest in medium-sized cities with populations between 20,000 and 100,000 inhabitants, such as Pirmasens, Worms, Speyer, Kaiserslautern, Landau and Bingen. The reasons for this should be analyzed until the study is fully evaluated in the fall. John said it may have to do with infrastructure and expectations of its quality.

The political scientist explained that the surprisingly critical attitude of people in medium-sized cities is reflected, for example, in increasing dissatisfaction with all political institutions – from the state government to the state parliament to the public administration. They are also more concerned about crime in daily life (56% compared to 42% for other respondents). People in medium-sized cities are also less satisfied with their Social Security than the rest of the population (about two-thirds versus 75 percent).

Immigration and refugees – the most important political problem for all residents of Rhineland-Palatinate – are also observed more strongly in medium-sized cities (21 percent versus 13 percent). On the other hand, traffic is seen as a problem by a much lower percentage (7 percent versus 13).

The first client of the Rhineland-Palatinate Controller is the state parliament. According to John, 1,216 people participated in the representative survey conducted by Infratest-Dimap last summer (June-July). He is a political scientist at the University of Trier and Managing Director of the Institute for Democracy and Party Research.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:240206-99-893076/4