Status: 10.11.2023, 21:03 PM
By: Manuel Rank
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Munich residents are more satisfied than average in almost all areas. Nevertheless, only a narrow majority would recommend their city to others.
Munich – People from Munich are among the happiest city dwellers in Germany. This is the result of the large cities ranking of the SKL "Happiness Atlas" 2023, which was presented this week by the Institute of Public Finance and Social Policy at the University of Freiburg. According to the survey, Munich residents are more satisfied than the average in large cities in almost all areas. A similar picture emerges throughout the Free State: Bavarians' satisfaction with their lives is growing and is above the national average in all areas of life.
Here you can read the results of the "Happiness Atlas" for Bavaria of the past year.
The people of Munich are very satisfied with their city. They rate the areas of security, business location and public administration as outstanding. But there are also challenges. © Christian Offenberg/imago
This makes the Free State – together with Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Hesse and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia – one of the central regions of happiness in Germany, according to the survey. In 2023, Bayern achieved an average life satisfaction of 7.09 points. This puts the Free State in third place in the federal state ranking. Munich is also in third place – in the ranking of major cities. The people of Munich rated life satisfaction in their city at 6.9 points.
Munich at a glance – state capital excellent in almost all areas
On a personal level, according to the SKL "Happiness Atlas", Munich residents show a "significantly above-average satisfaction" in the areas of household income and health. With an annual disposable household income of 33,200 euros – after taxes and contributions – the inhabitants of Munich are the wealthiest city dwellers. Health care is high: In Munich, there are 10 doctors per 000,306 inhabitants, compared to an average of 244 in the twelve major cities.
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Family and housing satisfaction are also above the city average, but only moderately. Munich is the most expensive city in Germany. Not only rents, but also costs for restaurant visits and groceries are comparatively high. The people of Munich are satisfied with their city, according to the city ranking. They rate the state capital with an average of 6.95 points – on a scale from 0 (= "completely dissatisfied") to 10 (= "completely satisfied") – and are thus slightly above the city average (6.9 points). The areas of security, business location and public administration are outstanding.
Problems and challenges in the Bavarian capital – high rents and a lot of work
The people of Munich rate their city as excellent in almost all areas. According to the data, only the work situation falls into the deficit area, housing and family are also at the limit. At 48.2 percent, residents of Munich have to spend an average of almost half of their income on rent. In addition, there is a lot of work in Munich – presumably also due to the high rents: In the 230 working days of the year, they work 6.9 hours a day, in other cities it is 4.5 hours a day (full-time and part-time).
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Database for the 2023 city ranking
The city ranking is published as a special study as part of the SKL "Happiness Atlas".
For this purpose, the German-speaking resident population with online access aged 16 to 74 was surveyed in the period from March 30 to April 24, 2023.
A total of 3,001 respondents from twelve major cities (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Dresden, Hanover, Bremen, Essen) took part in the survey.
The interviews were conducted by the market research firm Ipsos Public Affairs using the Online Access Panel.
The raw data from the surveys were sent to the Institute of Public Finance and Social Policy at the University of Freiburg, where they were evaluated by Prof. Dr. Raffelhüschen and his team using a statistical data analysis program.
Since 2022, the Süddeutsche Kassenlotterie (SKL) has been a partner of the "Lucky Atlas".
Source: SKL "Glücksatlas"
Bavaria at a glance – The south is happier than the north
According to the SKL "Glücksatlas", people in Bavaria achieved an average life satisfaction of 7.09 points – and came in third place in a nationwide comparison. Despite the good ranking, the result is disappointing, according to the survey. The happiness level has improved only very slightly, by 0.03 points compared to the previous year. The average increase in Germany is 0.06 points.
According to the "Happiness Atlas", one of the most important strengths of the Free State lies in its high level of prosperity: incomes are far above the average in the Federal Republic. Despite the sometimes very high rent and living costs – especially in cities such as Munich – the risk of poverty in Bavaria remains at a low level. The survey also shows that satisfaction with family and health is increasing in Bavaria. Strikingly, the south of Bavaria is one of the happiest regions in Germany - the north, on the other hand, is in the upper midfield in a nationwide comparison. While the inhabitants of the south of Bavaria report a life satisfaction of 7.23 points, the figure in Franconia is 6.92.
"Bavarian 'Mia san Mia' has a happiness component"
A study by the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin a few years ago drew attention to a special effect, according to the "Happiness Atlas". The study found that football fans of FC Bayern Munich repeatedly experience short-term "leaps in satisfaction" due to regular experiences of victory. These regular experiences of victory would permanently increase collective life satisfaction ("victory effect"), it continues.
The authors of the survey go on to write that in communities, such as an association, a political party or the church, and a "general feeling of being culturally and economically distinguishable from others", a happiness-giving sense of identity and connectedness arises. The Bavarian "mia san mia" thus has a happiness-giving component.
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