[Lear]

Germans reject their joyless image to become Europe's optimists
A survey shows more than half are satisfied with their lives and think positively about their employment prospects

According to the report by the German Economic Institute in Cologne, more than half of all German citizens are extremely satisfied with their lives, and only 2% describe their level of contentment as low.

Researchers said that comparably high levels in Germany were recorded only twice previously: at the time of reunification in 1989-90 and during the new-economy boom at the turn of the century.