The fall of the Berlin Wall

The Fall of the Wall is one of the most significant historic moments during the outgoing 20th century. German unification was a massive step towards further European integration and the single currency (apparently a price Germany had to pay for unification). It was also the starting point of EU and NATO enlargements in Eastern Europe.

Whilst the Fall of the Wall is now 30 years ago, we are still struggling to cope with the political fallout. Many amongst us particularly in Germany and in Eastern European markets, have lived through rapid social, cultural and economic change that has shaped our personal lives. In Germany, they are still trying to come to terms with distinctively different political cultures in the former East.

As a result of fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in Europe in 1989, 29% believe Europe has become a safer place and 28% believe Eastern Europe and Western Europe now share common goals.

These are the findings of a 16-country Ipsos survey conducted via Ipsos’s Global Advisor online survey platform between September 20 and October 4, 2019. For this survey, Ipsos interviewed a total of 12,005 adults aged 18-74 in Canada, Turkey, and the United States; and 16-74 in all other markets. The sample consists of 1000+ individuals in each of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, and the United States, and 500+ in each of Belgium, Hungary, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden and Turkey.

The survey data have been weighted so that each market’s sample composition best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the market’s most recent census data. Data collected each month are also weighted to give each market an equal weight in the total “global” sample. Online surveys can be taken as representative of the general adult population under the age of 75 in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Online samples in Romania, Russia, and Turkey are more urban, more educated and/or more affluent than the general population and the results should be viewed as reflecting the views of a more “connected” population.