- 58%have little or no trust (Sept. 2026)
- 16%express high trust (Sept. 2026)
- 49%rate influence negatively (Sept. 2026)
- 78%little/no trust among 18- to 29-year-olds
At the close of the first two-year monitoring phase (data as of 31 March 2025), 57.1% of German adults rated SCHUFA’s influence negatively (13.1% positively). 58.8% considered creditworthiness methodology inappropriate (17.4% appropriate). 65.4% had little or no trust in SCHUFA’s work; 10.6% expressed high trust.
The most critical age group at that time was 30–39: 70.9% rated influence negatively, and 79.6% expressed little or no trust. The share of respondents who had already encountered outdated or incorrect SCHUFA entries rose from 16.8% to 20.7% over the survey period.
Update: September 2026 survey wave
In September 2026 Civey re-fielded both core indicators with unchanged question wording (2–6 September 2026, n = 5,000 each; statistical error 2.5 and 2.6 percentage points). The most striking finding is a divergent generational trend: among 18- to 29-year-olds, the share with little or no trust in SCHUFA’s work rose from 67.8% (March 2025) to 78% — by far the highest value of any age group; 13% in this group express high trust. The 30- to 39-year-olds, previously the most critical group, improved from 79.6% to 64%.
In the overall population the figures show easing for the first time since the series began: the share with little or no trust fell from 65.4% in March 2025 to 58%, while high trust rose from 10.6% to 16%. SCHUFA’s influence is rated negatively by 49% (March 2025: 57.1%) — for the first time by fewer than half of respondents. Regionally, Saxony leads the distrust ranking (65%, high trust: 9%), followed by Saarland (64%); the lowest values are in Schleswig-Holstein (52%) and Hamburg (53%).
| Indicator | March 2023 | March 2025 | Sept. 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust: high | 13.3% | 10.6% | 16% |
| Trust: low / none | 60.5% | 65.4% | 58% |
| Influence: positive | 17.2% | 13.1% | 19% |
| Influence: negative | 50.9% | 57.1% | 49% |
Rounding note: September 2026 wave values are available as whole percentage points due to export format.
Methodology: On behalf of NLTS Global Analytics, Civey surveyed German adults aged 18 and over on an ongoing basis from 23 March 2023 to 31 March 2025 (rolling sample, approx. 5,000 respondents per question and reference date, small area estimation). Since September 2026 the series has continued in individual waves with unchanged question wording (most recently 2–6 September 2026, n = 5,000 each; statistical error 2.5 and 2.6 percentage points).