Over third of Germans see Germany participating in war within five years — paper

BERLIN, July 15. /TASS/. More than a third of Germans believe Germany could become entangled in a direct war in the next five years, newspaper Der Tagesspiegel quoted a survey conducted by PwC in collaboration with Civey GmbH online opinion research company.

According to the study, which covered 2,500 people, many Germans have become more acutely aware of threats now facing the country. About 86% of respondents said that the danger of hybrid attacks, such as cyber attacks, disinformation and espionage, have increased. Against this backdrop, many advocate greater European independence, including in matters of defense. More than half of the respondents (52.3%) consider it justified to save money in other areas to fund increased military spending.

Sociologists discovered that almost 70% of the survey participants no longer rule out the creation of a European nuclear deterrent for defense purposes.

The United States is no longer perceived as a reliable partner — only half of Germans still believe that the United States will provide military support to its European partners in the event of war.

"Most Germans want more independence from the United States and demand more European involvement. It would be prudent to show a higher degree of independence and responsibility," said Wolfgang Zink, Partner Public Sector Consulting at PwC Germany.

On December 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that politicians in Europe were "raising the degree of hysteria" and "hammering fears into their heads" about the inevitability of a clash with Russia. According to him, the allegations about a possible Russian attack on Europe are "lies and nonsense.".