Living in Heilbronn as an exchange student has been eye-opening, especially when it comes to understanding how Germans think about volunteering and the government's role in helping people. For my solicity international project, I wanted to know : does the German state do more or less than France when it comes to social work ? The answer surprised me.
I surveyed 13 people at my university. Mostly students like me, plus a couple of professors and one admin person. What I discovered shows just how different our two countries really are when it comes to civic engagement.
What the survey revealed
The first thing that struck me was how active Germans are in volunteering. Out of my 13 respondents, 10 people (77%) are currently doing some kind of volunteer work. That's way higher than I expected ! Most of them help with environmental issues, work with disadvantaged kids, or support refugees and migrants.
When I asked them about young Germans in general, most people (69%) think their generation is quite engaged. Only one person said young Germans aren't doing enough. This really shows that volunteering is still important to German youth, despite all the pressure from studies and work.
But of course, there are obstacles. Almost everyone mentioned lack of time as the main issue. Between university, part-time jobs, and everything else, it's hard to find time to volunteer. The second biggest complaint ? Too much bureaucracy. Several students told me the paperwork to become a volunteer can be overwhelming. One student said : "Sometimes the paperwork can be overwhelming for volunteers."
Here's where it gets really interesting. When I asked who should be responsible for helping disadvantaged people, 9 out of 13 people (69%) said it should be shared between the government and associations. Only 2 people thought the government should do everything alone.
This is very different from what I see in France, where people often expect the government to handle social problems directly.
Germany vs France : Two different approaches
After analyzing my survey results and comparing them with official data, I realized Germany and France have completely different philosophies about civic engagement.
In France, the government spends 32.9% of its GDP on social programs - that's the highest in Europe ! We have massive state programs like Service Civique, where over 800,000 young people have participated since 2010. The government basically organizes volunteering for us, paying volunteers 507€ per month with full social benefits.
Germany spends less (25% of GDP) but has 30 million volunteers working through independent organizations. The government supports these groups but doesn't run them directly. It's what Germans call "subsidiarity" : the idea that problems should be solved at the most local level possible.
One of my survey respondents, a professor, explained it perfectly: "The German model of subsidiarity works well, but we need to better prepare young people for civic responsibility during their education."
The surprising results
Here's what really shocked me : even though France spends more money and has bigger government programs, Germans are actually happier with their social system than the French are ! According to OECD research, French people are the least satisfied with their social protection among major European countries.
My survey backs this up. Most of my German respondents (77%) think their government does a good job helping disadvantaged people. They're not asking for more government intervention. They want better coordination and less bureaucracy.
What Germans really want :
- Simpler volunteer registration
- Better information about opportunities
- More flexible schedules for students
- Small financial help for transportation costs
Compare this to France, where people often demand more government spending or programs when there's a social problem.
So what I learned
This research completely changed how I think about government and civic engagement. In France, we often wait for the state to solve problems. In Germany, people ask : "How can we solve this together ?"
Both approaches work, but I'm impressed by how the German model creates more citizen satisfaction with less government spending. Maybe France could learn something from this balance between state support and citizen responsibility.
As one German student told me : "The state supports well, but civil society organizations are the real drivers.". That pretty much sums up the German approach and maybe it's not such a bad way to think about solving social problems.
The real question isn't whether the government should do more or less, but how to create the right balance between state support and citizen action. And from what I've seen in Heilbronn, Germany might have figured out a pretty good formula.
Sources
- Primary research : Survey of 13 respondents at Heilbronn University
- BMFSFJ (German Ministry for Family Affairs), Civic Engagement Policy, 2025
- OECD, Social Protection Perceptions in France and Germany, 2024
- European Commission, Youth Volunteering in France, 2023
- World Economic Forum, Social Spending Comparison, 2021