The approval ratings of the participants for the planned individual measures of the next federal government peak at around 90%. Many other projects received approval ratings of between 70 and 80 percent. This is clear: The further development of infrastructure is particularly important to respondents. For example, the accelerated expansion of fiber optics and mobile communications achieved the highest level of approval with 93%, followed by a cloud and data center strategy with 87%. This includes the establishment and expansion of German data centers and at least one AI gigafactory. Both measures are evidently seen by managers as decisive basic factors for companies that want to map data-driven business models and digital processes in sovereign cloud environments in Germany. The promotion of research and innovation as well as the strengthening of cyber security for SMEs (79% each) and the promotion of open source technologies as well as the concrete strengthening of digital sovereignty (78% each) also meet with great approval. Last but not least, more than three quarters of respondents welcome the planned digital ministry and expect it to provide significant impetus for Germany as a business location.
Wish and reality: practical implementation
However, there are considerable reservations when it comes to confidence in the implementation of the planned projects. Only 45% of all respondents believe that digitalization will make noticeable progress in this legislative period. Confidence in the implementation competence of political decision-makers at board level is particularly low: only 36% of board members and managing directors expect real progress in digitalization.
Significant differences between top decision-makers on the one hand and middle management on the other are also evident in the assessment of individual digitalization measures. For example, only 71 percent of top decision-makers emphasize the importance of a cloud and data center strategy or a digital ministry for Germany, while 89 percent and 80 percent of middle managers respectively consider these measures to be important.
Mark Lohweber, CEO of adesso SE, explains: “Our survey shows that there is a lack of concrete steps in the new digitalization strategy: There is no lack of concrete steps in the new coalition agreement. There is very high approval for many digitalization measures. It is only when the economy assesses the big picture that confidence is still lacking. But that was probably to be expected if a ‘digitalization agenda’ becomes reality. However, I am sure that confidence will come as soon as implementation begins.”
Study methodology
In April 2025, the market research company HEUTE UND MORGEN was commissioned by adesso to survey a total of 400 managers in Germany on the planned digitalization projects in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD for the 21st legislative period of the German Bundestag. Legislative period of the German Bundestag, which was publicly presented on April 9, 2025.
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Further links
👉 www.adesso.de
Photo: adesso
