Gender language is not as important to most Germans as gender lobbyists would like it to be. This has been proven by a representative study of the WDR, German public broadcasting institution.
“For us at WDR, the results are particularly interesting with regard to our journalistic work. After all, language is our most important tool,” explained WDR program director Jörg Schönenborn.
More than 1,000 people were surveyed in September 2022. According to the survey, gender-inclusive language plays little or no role for almost two-thirds of people, which is slightly more than two years ago. 41% of respondents said that the issue was not important to them at all. 16% find it very important. Younger people obviously care more about the issue than older respondents. 43% of younger survey respondents (14-29) confirm this view, while 68% of older respondents (50-59) feel the issue is less or not at all important.
Speaking out about the so-called “gender gap” is still optional at WDR, he said. “It’s not something that lasts forever, and that’s why we keep looking at it,” the report said.