According to a survey, Saxons are happier again. After several years of sometimes significant declines, the average satisfaction of people in the Free State has risen in 2025 and is at around the same level as before the coronavirus pandemic. This is according to the new "Happiness Atlas" compiled by the University of Freiburg in collaboration with the Süddeutsche Klassenlotterie (SKL).
According to the report, average subjective life satisfaction has risen compared to 2024 - from 6.87 to 6.96 points. Saxony performed best in the 2019 survey, which is conducted regularly, with 6.98 points. The rating scale ranges from 0 ("not at all satisfied") to 10 points ("completely satisfied").
"As in other eastern German states, Saxons are rather dissatisfied with their financial situation, but are very satisfied with their work and family life," the happiness atlas states.
Young generation on the rise
According to the study, the young generation recorded the greatest increase in life satisfaction. Teenagers, young adults and middle-aged people rate their lives more positively today than they did a few years ago. The situation is different for the over-60s: According to the "happiness atlas", satisfaction in this age group has fallen since the pandemic.
Women and city dwellers also tend to report a decline in happiness, while men and especially people in rural areas are happier today than they were before the coronavirus pandemic.
There are also clear regional differences within Saxony. People in western Saxony are happier than those in eastern Saxony. However, the gap is shrinking.
Income remains weak point
According to the report, income satisfaction in Saxony is significantly below the national average. According to the authors, one of the reasons for this is that the annual disposable income in Saxony is around 2,000 euros lower than in the rest of Germany.
"The situation is even worse in terms of wealth: For example, the home ownership rate in Saxony is 34.7 percent, compared to 45.9 percent in neighboring Bavaria," the report states.
Well-being through family
In other areas, however, the Saxons are ahead: satisfaction with family is higher than the national average - "and this despite declining birth rates, which are normally associated with lower family satisfaction." According to the study, Saxons are also more satisfied with their work than the average German.
"Overall, subjectively perceived life satisfaction is largely in line with the level that can be expected from objectively measurable quality of life factors," the authors conclude.
In the current nationwide comparison, Saxony ranks 12th and is below the national average (7.09 points). Hamburg is ahead with 7.33 points, while Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania brings up the rear with 6.06 points.
Who was surveyed
For the "Glücksatlas" 2025, a total of 13,905 people aged 16 and over were surveyed by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research from July 2024 to June 2025 on their general life satisfaction. In June 2025, the market and social research institute Ipsos surveyed a total of 5,148 citizens aged 18 and over on the areas of work, income, family and leisure. According to the institute, the results are representative of these population groups.
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