Letter From Berlin: Forget Saving the World--Save Our Jobs

Germans credit the outgoing government with making the country a more tolerant, eco-friendly place. But with unemployment running at a post--World War II high of 11.2%, young Germans are more interested in finding jobs than saving the world. Birgit Gugath, 25, a political science student in Berlin, voted for the Green Party and Schröder's Social Democrats in 2002 but switched to Merkel this year. "All those big ideas just aren't as important anymore," she says. "We have to take care of ourselves." When the parents of today's twentysomethings entered the work force, "the higher the degree you got, the better your job would be, but that's not the case today," says Jan Bottcher, 27, a law student at Berlin's Free University. "We live with a lot more insecurity." That professional uncertainty has caused young Germans to seek stability in their personal lives. In a recent poll by the Forsa agency in Berlin, 87% of young people ages 18 to 30 said they thought marriage was a good thing, and 80% said they believe they will find their "one true love."

The new government reflects the turn toward sobriety. "The home and the family are very important to us," says Dieter Althaus, governor of the state of Thuringia and a Merkel confidante. Merkel will still need the support of the old left to pass her reforms, but it's a safe bet that the style of German governance will change. "I was one of the last live rock 'n' rollers," Fischer said after last month's vote. Germans are ready for a different song.