A whopping 78 percent of those surveyed by Stern magazine said they believed 2009 would be a good year for them personally. Younger Germans were especially optimistic, with 88 percent responding they expected the best from the next 12 months.
But of the 1,000 people polled, most didn’t think 2009 would be very good for Germany in general. Some 62 percent said tough times were ahead and only 33 percent felt optimistic about where the country was heading.