Press Release No. 11/2014 IG Metall: Large Majority of Young People Support Pensions Without Reductions for Long-Term Insured Individuals

Frankfurt am Main – IG Metall has found strong public support in the debate over pensions without reductions for long-term insured individuals. Young people welcomed the option of early retirement without reductions for those who have worked for many years. Among 18- to 34-year-olds, approval stood at 89 percent—even higher than the overall average of 87 percent among all respondents. These are the findings of a representative TNS Infratest survey commissioned by IG Metall. “Anyone—such as BDA President Ingo Kamer or the Initiative for a New Social Market Economy—who claims to represent the interests of young people by opposing full-benefit retirement for long-term contributors is knowingly misleading the public,” said Hans-Jürgen Urban, executive board member of IG Metall, on Wednesday in Frankfurt.

Referring to the public debate, Urban said: “Neoliberal scholars and employer representatives, in particular, portray themselves as champions of young people’s interests. But the interests of young people are different from what is repeatedly portrayed in the public debate. We’re not talking about young people; we’re talking with them. The full pension enjoys high acceptance across the entire population, including among the younger generation. However, young people want additional measures in which they can also participate. This applies in particular to the pension level.”

The study makes it clear that the federal government’s current pension package is necessary but by no means sufficient. Only 26 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds believe that “they will be able to live comfortably on their statutory pension later in life.” Consequently, 80 percent of this age group are calling for the stabilization of pension levels. To receive a pension that comes close to ensuring their standard of living in old age, nearly two-thirds of all respondents (64 percent) are willing to pay a higher, jointly funded pension contribution in exchange for a higher statutory pension. Contrary to public opinion, the proportion among 18- to 34-year-olds is even higher, at 74 percent.

“The public debate is going in the wrong direction: High levels of public support, coupled with opposition from some politicians and business lobbyists, show that the decision-making elites have become disconnected from the general public. This is not a good sign for democracy in our country,” Urban criticized. In addition, other studies—such as the recent Allensbach survey commissioned by Gesamtmetall through the Initiative for a New Social Market Economy—also show high levels of support for a full retirement without reductions.