Family businesses are held in high regard

Germans’ confidence in the strength of the German economy is waning. They have little faith in the government’s ability to solve the problems. The majority believe that the state should set the framework and otherwise stay out of the economy. In their view, family businesses act as guarantors of prosperity and should be given tax relief.

Munich, 1 December 2025. Strengthening the economy and ensuring economic growth – from the German public’s perspective, this should be the most pressing objective of the current federal government. 73 percent cite this as a priority. However, only 27 percent believe the government is making progress on this issue. In terms of urgency, citizens rank securing pensions, tackling inflation and creating affordable housing as the next most important issues.

These findings were compiled by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research on behalf of the Foundation for Family Businesses. To this end, just over 1,000 interviews were conducted in October 2025 with a representative cross-section of the population aged 16 and over. The institute had already asked some of the questions in 2019 and 2024, making a comparison possible.

More than half of respondents lack confidence in the competitiveness of the German economy. To boost this confidence, they regard the training of skilled workers within Germany as the most important item on the political agenda (86 percent), followed by reducing red tape, favourable business conditions, education and support for research.

The economy performs better when the state intervenes as little as possible – 53 percent of those surveyed agree with this statement, 27 percent disagree, and 20 percent are undecided. Among employees in family-run businesses, the level of agreement is a further ten percentage points higher.

The argument that this contributes to inequality does not gain acceptance

Who ensures prosperity and jobs in the regions? It is family businesses, say 77 percent of those surveyed. Whilst the general public’s view of businesses as a whole has lost some of its lustre, “public opinion on family businesses remains remarkably stable”, as Michael Sommer, head of the study at the Allensbach Institute, writes.

71 percent are convinced that family businesses in Germany help to secure jobs, whilst more than one in two believe that they take a long-term view, are well managed and make an effort to train the next generation of skilled workers. When it comes to innovation and climate protection, the public takes a more critical view. But on the issue of fairness, there is little doubt about them: just 4 percent agree with the statement that family-owned businesses contribute to inequality in society.

Attitudes towards the taxation of family businesses have changed significantly. Currently, 61 percent (compared with 35 percent last year) support the call to ease the tax burden on family businesses.

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