Laichingen – September 09, 2026 -- A new survey of 1,000 people aged 16 to 35 in Germany finds that nearly a third of respondents can answer no more than one of three basic financial questions correctly, while only 33.5 percent pass the full basic test. The poll, commissioned by precious metals comparison platform GOLD.DE ahead of the national "Day of Gold" on September 7, was conducted in August 2026 and is weighted to be representative by age, gender, and federal state.
The weakest area is everyday economic knowledge: just 52.2 percent know Germany's current inflation rate, and 40.0 percent overestimate it significantly. Understanding of risk diversification is only slightly better, with 67.1 percent grasping the concept correctly, while one in five confuses it with simply chasing high interest rates. Respondents scored highest on the difference between gross and net salary, with 74.9 percent answering correctly -- though even here, one in four could not say exactly what gets deducted from their own paycheck.
Schools barely factor into how young people learn about money
Asked who taught them to manage money, only 9.8 percent of respondents credited school. Social media (19.0 percent), parents (30.5 percent), and self-taught learning (34.7 percent) all outrank formal education. The survey found that as respondents get older, they rely less on their parents and increasingly teach themselves -- a pattern GOLD.DE says points to a structural gap in financial education.
Familiarity with gold and other investments doesn't translate into use
Awareness of specific investment types far outpaces actual use. While 72.0 percent of respondents know gold as an investment option, only 20.6 percent actually hold it. Real estate shows a similar gap (72.6 percent aware, 12.5 percent invested), as does cryptocurrency (71.6 percent aware, 22.6 percent invested). More than a quarter of respondents (25.8 percent) currently invest no money at all, a figure that jumps to 35.1 percent among 16- to 20-year-olds.
Korbinian G. Penzkofer, managing director of ADEOS MEDIA GmbH, which operates GOLD.DE, said financial education shapes how economically secure young people will be later in life and argued that awareness efforts should start early with small steps rather than being left to social media alone.
To mark the 2026 Day of Gold, themed around "(missing) financial education," GOLD.DE is offering free resources including a parents' guide on teaching age-appropriate money management. The platform is also running a giveaway with partner Rheinische Scheidestätte GmbH, offering gold bars worth more than 5,000 euros in total.