Community Life Explored in Depth - Kassel locals report feeling the most content.
In Kassel, a survey shows that people living in this city believe themselves to be the happiest among German city dwellers. Kassel comes first in a list of the 40 largest cities with over 200,000 inhabitants, as found in the "Happiness Atlas" by the South German Lottery (SKL). More than 50% of Kassel's residents are content with their lives, while only 3.5% expressed dissatisfaction, which means roughly one out of every 29 people in Kassel.
According to the "Happiness Atlas," other finalists include Erfurt and Aachen. Frankfurt, however, places 34th. Although Frankfurt is wealthy, safe, and family-friendly, almost every fifth resident is not satisfied with their life there.
The report by the South German Lottery takes various aspects into account, such as purchasing power and infrastructure, to measure the quality of life. Frankfurt falls into the upper middle range in terms of quality of life. However, the number of very content residents is small, and the number of dissatisfied residents is relatively high.
The Institute for Demoscopy Allensbach conducted a survey of 25,557 residents in the period between January 2021 and April 2024. Since all cities were surveyed at the same time, the outcomes are not influenced by COVID-19. The results are based on how residents perceive their quality of life, and not on any objective criteria like income, infrastructure, or green spaces.
When the Happiness Index is compared with the objectively chosen indicators, it appears that the inhabitants of well-ranked cities are more satisfied than they should be according to measurable factors. As per the survey leader, Bernd Raffelhüschen from the University of Freiburg, "The top of the happiness ranking is mostly made up of smaller, quiet cities." These places are typically not particularly wealthy or exceptionally high in welfare indicators. Instead, they often have a small-town atmosphere, a student population, and are quite calm. They also have an abundance of green spaces and clean air.
In contrast, cities that should rank first based on the "Happiness Atlas" objective criteria, such as Munich, Freiburg im Breisgau, and Karlsruhe, are in the middle to poor places in the ranking.
The factors that have the strongest impact on life satisfaction, according to the findings, are cities with excellent family and education policies. This is followed by healthcare, purchasing power, and environmental quality. A higher gross domestic product, more cultural and leisure opportunities, and better transportation infrastructure are less significant, the survey suggests.
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Source: www.stern.de
