The credit behavior of Germans
"This shows that the general level of prosperity in the Federal Republic has risen and borrowers no longer have to identify with a negative debtor image from now on," says Jana Koch, CMO of Younited Credit Germany. "In Germany, the prejudice that taking out a loan often indicates financial difficulties persists stubbornly. The results of our study show that other motivations prevail."
Loans to increase comfort
When asked why borrowing, 43 percent of all study participants said they wanted to increase their comfort level. Nearly a third (28%) used credit for an unexpected situation and slightly less than 20 percent say they used credit for a special event (wedding, trip abroad, vacation). The borrowing for a special event takes place regardless of the financial situation of the respondent. Detached from income, nearly one in five (17%) respondents are willing to repay a loan to achieve their dreams. 5 percent of Germans, however, use their credit for gifts.
With a view to the current pandemic, it can be seen that only seven percent of all borrowers cite the Corona crisis as a reason for borrowing money. Respondents who report taking loans out of serious money concerns are the most affected by the pandemic. Of these, almost one in five (17%) took out corona-related loans.
Younited Credit also looked at what exactly Germans use their loans for. A large part, namely 44 percent, which took out a loan in the six months mentioned, finances a car (new and used cars). 36 percent, on the other hand, use the loan for liquidity. And nearly one in three credit consumers (32%) invest in their own homes, buying more furniture or starting other interior and exterior projects.
"We are not surprised that more and more Germans take out a loan to further improve their own standard of living. In addition to the popularity of cars, we observe the trend to make it as nice as possible at home and realize this through loans. We expect this trend to continue even after the Corona crisis," adds Jana Koch.
Money topic = taboo topic?
For slightly more than half of the respondents (57%), money issues are a private matter or even taboo. You do not want to share any financial information with the outside world. It can be observed, however, that Germans' credit behavior is undergoing an image change: Nearly half of respondents (43%) have no problem talking openly about their financial situation.
Study methotics:
The survey was conducted online between November 2020 and May 2021 by the market research institute Mix Factory. In total 1.000 German consumers over the age of 18 were surveyed.