German unification: persistent differences between those from East and West

A large‐scale survey was conducted to assess “attitudes towards risk and safety at work”, and more general attitudes to work among vets four to five years after German unification. Clear differences were observed between the old (West) and new (East) Federal States of Germany. Stress levels were significantly higher in the new Federal States but, interestingly, the city of Berlin shared the low stress features of employees in the former West Germany. Social cohesion or working climate was generally perceived more favourably in the new Federal States. Satisfaction at work was not significantly related to job stress, and did not show such clear differences between new and old federal States. Individuals from the new federal States were more emotional in their driving styles, less risk‐taking and more safety conscious than their colleagues in the older federal States. The implications of these findings are discussed.