Summer vacation unaffordable: families and young people suffer!

Summer vacation unaffordable: families and young people suffer!

Deutschland - More and more people in Germany have difficulty affording a summer vacation or leisure activities. A survey by the Social Association of Germany (SOVD) in June 2025 shows that many working people have to save on vacation and give more than a third that they are not financially possible for them. These figures illustrate how strongly the high costs for leisure activities and relaxation strain the citizens. According to an examination of the Merkur in particular, families and young adults feel the prices for summer vacations as too high.

Michaela Engelmeier, the CEO of the SOVD, comments concerned about the growing financial burdens for many social groups. "Recreation and social participation become luxury for many," she warns. The current survey shows that almost 40 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 have difficulty affecting a vacation. This is particularly worrying because the crises of recent years, including pandemic, Ukraine secretion and inflation, have left deep traces.

financial burdens for families

Over 20 percent of parents from children up to the age of 18 report that they are difficult to finance leisure activities such as visiting a swimming pool, zoo or cinemas. Everyday amusements, for example visiting an ice cream parlor, have also become more expensive. Official statistics show that about every fifth child in Germany lives in poverty. This increases the feeling of exclusion and endangers social cohesion.

The ADAC tourism study for 2025 underlines this trend: 24 percent of those surveyed state that they have less money for vacation this year than in the previous year. People with a low level of education are particularly affected. Over 70 percent of the people with a secondary school leaving certificate or without a degree report that they are difficult to afford vacation. But also well -trained people, about every fourth with a high school diploma, are not immune to financial difficulties.

claims for relief

To improve the situation, the SOVD calls for targeted relief for people with small and medium -sized incomes. Engelmeier appeals for necessary investments in social infrastructure and affordable, barrier -free living space. A poverty-resistant minimum wage and a higher collective bargaining are required so that basic needs and offers in the leisure and education sector remain affordable for everyone.

The results of the survey are an urgent call to politics to become active. The increasing costs for leisure activities and vacations urgently need to be addressed in order not to further endanger social cohesion in society. The SOVD wants that cultural, leisure and educational offers are accessible and affordable for everyone, so that everyone has the opportunity to recover and participate in social life. Further information is on the website of the SOVD available.