(Guardian) More than one in five Germans would like to see the Berlin Wall rebuilt, a study published to coincide with the 18th anniversary of its fall shows.
The survey of more than a thousand Germans of different ages showed that the desire to see the wall return is as high among former citizens of communist East Germany (the GDR) as it is among those from the west.
Only 3% of people who originated from East Germany said they were very satisfied with the way that German democracy worked.
The poll by the Forsa institute showed that 73% of those from the east believed that socialism was a good idea in principle, but had been poorly implemented. Over 90% argued that they enjoyed better social protection during the GDR era.
The first slabs of the Berlin Wall were erected in 1961 as the GDR moved to separate West Berlin from the communist East. In its 28-year life the wall became a symbol of the cold war and, according to official figures, 125 people were killed trying to cross it from east to west.