WSI-Verteilungsbericht 2022 : Armut grenzt aus

In Germany, the proportion of the population living in poverty has risen significantly in the past decade. Income poverty – as this year’s report on distribution based on SOEP data clearly shows – is far more than just a lack of financial resources. Those who are poor in Germany, for example, also acquire fewer educational skills, have a higher risk of morbidity, or live in smaller living spaces. These inferior living conditions of the poor population are also accompanied by lower levels of life satisfaction. At the same time – as the HBS living situation survey suggests – a low level of trust in political actors can be particularly observed in this group. The report makes clear that poverty not only means less social participation for those affected, but if the needs of the poor population are structurally neglected, it also undermines trust in the democratic institutions and consequently poses a threat to the democratic social system. Fighting income poverty is, thus, also an urgent necessity for society as a whole, with the primary aim of promoting equal opportunities and full social participation for the poor.