October 8, 2025, 10:43 am | Read time: 3 minutes
In which federal state are people considered the most likable? Researchers from the Free University of Berlin explored this question. A northern state tops the list by a wide margin.
The Most Likable People Live in …
… Hamburg! The residents of the Hanseatic city scored the highest in the FU survey, reports the “Tagesspiegel,” which has exclusive access to the results. According to the survey, Hamburg received 201 out of a possible 240 points for likability. Another northern state, Schleswig-Holstein, comes in second with 178 points, right behind Hamburg. Baden-Württemberg takes third place with 166 points.
Metropolis Lands in Last Place
Perhaps less surprising to many is the last place: According to the survey, the least likable people live in Berlin. The capital received a meager 62 likability points from respondents. Stuttgart political scientist Achim Hildebrandt explains to the newspaper that Berlin’s result is linked to the city’s image. Berlin is identified with the seat of government and the cliché of a “failed state,” where not even the airport functions, Hildebrandt says. A “general aversion to metropolises” also plays a role.
The political scientist also points out that the survey has less to do with personal experiences and more with clichés and projections that people associate with certain regions. You need a cliché in mind to answer the question of likability, Hildebrandt says.
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Significant Differences Between East and West
The survey also reveals a clear difference between East and West. Lower-ranked states include predominantly East German states such as Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, and Thuringia. According to “Tagesspiegel,” FU researchers speak of a previously underappreciated form of polarization. This is evident not only between voters of different parties but also “between people from different regions: East versus West, Bavaria versus the rest, city versus country.”
Bavaria and Saxony are particularly polarizing in the survey. Saxony receives likability points mainly from other East German states, but not from the West. Bavaria ranks in the middle at 10th place and is viewed favorably in terms of likability by states in the central and southern regions. However, further north, the Free State receives fewer points.
Federal States with the Most (Un)Likable People:
- Hamburg
- Schleswig-Holstein
- Baden-Württemberg
- Lower Saxony
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
- Hesse
- Rhineland-Palatinate
- Bremen
- Bavaria
- Brandenburg
- Saarland
- Thuringia
- Saxony
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Berlin
How the Researchers Proceeded
For the representative survey, 1,630 people between the ages of 18 and 69 were questioned. They were asked: “How likable, generally speaking, are people from this federal state to you?” In the points system, 15 points were awarded to each state’s favorite, while the last place received only one point.