Social Gathering - Numerous residents of Rostock express discontent.
In Rostock, residents don't seem too pleased with their living situation. This city by the Baltic Sea scores a mere 6.36 out of 10 in the recent SKL Happiness Atlas, making it the least desirable city in Germany. That's according to researchers, who have analyzed various factors like income, infrastructure, and green spaces.
It's puzzling that Rostock scores so low, given it's well-situated location and the presence of a decent infrastructure. The researchers point out that cities like Braunschweig, Wiesbaden, and Karlsruhe - all of which have ample resources - should have ranked higher. However, Rostock doesn't quite match up to them.
What might be holding Rostock back? Well, it's not particularly wealthy, nor is it an economic powerhouse. But it does have its fair share of recreational opportunities and green spaces, with minimal industrial areas. The root of the problem seems to lie in demographic factors: an abundance of one-person households, a scarcity of families with children, and a large elderly population.
The study surveyed residents of 40 German cities with more than 200k inhabitants and asked how satisfied they were with their lives overall. Kassel topped the list with a score of 7.38, followed by Erfurt, Aachen, and Kiel. Rostock, along with Karlsruhe and Wiesbaden, brought up the rear.
The Institute for Demoscopy Allensbach conducted the interviews among 25,557 people from these cities between January 2021 and April 2024. The rankings weren't influenced by objective criteria like income, infrastructure, or green spaces. The respondents' opinions on their quality of life were taken into account.
Cities with solid family and education policies had the biggest effect on satisfaction, followed by healthcare, purchasing power, and environmental quality. According to the study, higher GDPs, more culture and leisure, or better transportation had a weaker influence.
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Source: www.stern.de
