Rentenreform: Umfrage: Mehrheit gegen Abschaffung der „Rente mit 63“

A recent survey conducted by the Insa institute for "Bild am Sonntag" reveals that a clear majority of Germans oppose the abolition of the so-called "Rente mit 63" - a retirement benefit available to those who have contributed for 45 years without accruing any early retirement deductions. Sixty-eight percent of respondents are against its abolition, while only 24 percent support it, with 8 percent providing no answer.

The survey also shows that many people find the early retirement rule personally relevant, with 56 percent indicating they would or have already used the "Rente mit 63." Thirty-two percent deny having any interest in the benefit, with 12 percent providing no answer. The planned retirement age increase, which will only become available at 64.5 years, is part of a broader package proposed by the Social Insurance Commission.

Sixty-one percent of respondents are skeptical about the planned increase in social security contributions for mini-jobs, while 30 percent favor the move and 9 percent expressed no opinion. Overall, 77 percent of respondents are dissatisfied with the federal government's pension policy, while only 16 percent are satisfied. Trade union representatives have called on the government to reconsider its plan to phase out the "Rente mit 63."

Verdi President Frank Werneke said that growing numbers of state leaders recognize the proposal's flaws, arguing that the commission's plan to abolish the early retirement benefit is wrong. For many long-term insured individuals, the abolition of the "Rente mit 63" disregards their contributions and service, according to Werneke.

Christiane Benner, IG Metall's federal vice president, called the early retirement benefit fair, while those who question it could take a turn in a factory or on an assembly line to understand its value. DGB representative Anja Piel said that people who entered apprenticeships and worked nearly half a century should not see their retirement come to an end without a good pension, free of deductions.

Robert Feiger, head of the Industriegewerkschaft Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt, stated that someone who has worked for 45 years and paid contributions deserves an early retirement benefit - "there's nothing to shake there." CDU union leader Gitta Connemann emphasized that the pension package is not a buffet, and one cannot take only what they like. The compromise was hard-won, and dismantling it would harm all generations, she told the newspaper.