Fear of war in Germany: An observational study

Given the very limited knowledge, the purpose of this study was to identify the current prevalence and correlates of fear of conventional and of nuclear war in the general adult population (Germany).

Data were taken from a representative survey (n = 3091 participants; mid-March 2022). Established items were used to quantify fear of conventional war and fear of nuclear war. Linear regressions were used to examine the correlates of fear of conventional war and fear of nuclear war, adjusting for several covariates.

While 5.3 % of the respondents were not at all worried about a conventional war, 44.2 % of the respondents reported some fear and 50.5 % of the respondents reported severe fear of a conventional war. Similarly, 7.7 % of the respondents were not at all worried about a nuclear war, whereas 45.7 % of the respondents reported some fear and 46.6 % of the respondents reported severe fear of a nuclear war. The prevalence rates mainly slightly differed between sociodemographic groups (with the exception of gender and having children) and were thus consistently high. Regressions showed that both higher fear of a conventional war and higher fear of a nuclear war were associated with being female, having children in own household, being married and living together with spouse, having at least one chronic illness and poor self-rated health.

Our study showed high prevalence rates for fear of war (both, conventional war and nuclear war). Knowledge about the correlates may assist in tackling individuals at risk for severe fear. Against the background of the current events in Eastern Europe, future research in this area is urgently required.