01 A study by
Culture Report
From soccer to gaming — where Germany’s generations feel culturally at home.
Exclusive, representative YouGov surveys commissioned by THE AMBITION reveal Germany’s most relevant cultural resonance fields in music, sport, entertainment and beyond, their significance for different generations, and new perspectives for culture marketing and sponsorship in 2027.
- Partners
- THE AMBITION × YouGov
- Independent samples
- Wave 1: 2,093 · Wave 2: 2,135
- Fieldwork
- 15–18 Sept 2026
- Coverage
- 28 cultures · Germany 18+
Executive summary
02Key findings.
Soccer · Adults 18+
28%of adults identify with Soccer – a culture that connects generations: 26% of Gen Z and 29% each of Millennials, Gen X and Babyboomers.
Gaming · 25–34 years
43%of 25–34-year-olds identify with Gaming, and 21% with HipHop. Gaming also reaches 35% of Gen Z and 34% of Millennials.
Fitness & Gym · 25–34 years
35%of 25–34-year-olds identify with Fitness & Gym, compared with 25% of all adults. Sport’s cultural significance varies by audience.
Anime & Manga · 25–34 years
25%of 25–34-year-olds identify with Anime & Manga, as do 22% of Gen Z – compared with 8% of all adults in Germany.
Health & Longevity · Adults 18+
35%of adults identify with Health & Longevity, rising from 27% of Gen Z to 41% of Babyboomers. Outdoor reaches 31% overall and 38% of Millennials.
Books & Reading · Adults 18+
50%of adults identify with Books & Reading – one of Germany’s largest cultural resonance fields, from 45% of Gen Z to 52% of Babyboomers.
Source: YouGov on behalf of THE AMBITION, September 2026. Adults 18+ in Germany.
The Culture Dashboard
0328 cultures.
Share of adults who identify with each culture. Choose a generation, gender or age group to re-rank the results. Each field belongs to one independent wave; cross-wave comparisons are descriptive only.
Ranked for: Gen Z
- 01Books & ReadingWave 2 · n = 2,13545%
- 02GamingWave 1 · n = 2,09335%
- 03Fitness & GymWave 2 · n = 2,13532%
- 04DIY & MakingWave 1 · n = 2,09328%
- 05Health & LongevityWave 2 · n = 2,13527%
- 06Rock MusicWave 1 · n = 2,09327%
Access all 28 cultures, rankings by generation, gender and age group, and the detailed profiles — instantly, right here on this page.
Profiles
04Cultures in detail.
Each profile shows self-identification by generation, gender and age group, from its original YouGov wave. These results do not measure consumption, brand affinity or sponsorship impact.
The percentage shows the share of German adults (18+) who say they personally identify with each culture. “Audience focus” names the generation where the culture is strongest. Click any row to open the full profile.
01Books & Reading
Peaks in Boomers50%of adultsView profile +Close ×
Key insight
- Women lead: 60% vs. 39% of men.
- Stable across age groups (47–51%).
Self-identification with Books & Reading. Respondents could select all applicable cultural resonance fields.
Identify with this culture
By generation & gender
- Gen Z
- 45%
- Millennials
- 50%
- Gen X
- 49%
- Boomers
- 52%
- All adults
- 50%
- Men
- 39%
- Women
- 60%
By age group
- 18–24 years
- 47%
- 25–34 years
- 48%
- 35–44 years
- 50%
- 45–54 years
- 51%
- 55+ years
- 51%
Black line = all adults. Bars on a 0–100% scale.
YouGov Wave 2, n = 2,135, 16–18 September 2026.
02Rock Music
Peaks in Boomers35%of adultsView profile +Close ×
Key insight
- Men lead: 39% vs. 32% of women.
- Highest at ages 55+ (39%), lowest at 18–24 (25%).
Self-identification with Rock Music. Respondents could select all applicable cultural resonance fields.
Identify with this culture
By generation & gender
- Gen Z
- 27%
- Millennials
- 35%
- Gen X
- 35%
- Boomers
- 41%
- All adults
- 35%
- Men
- 39%
- Women
- 32%
By age group
- 18–24 years
- 25%
- 25–34 years
- 31%
- 35–44 years
- 36%
- 45–54 years
- 33%
- 55+ years
- 39%
Black line = all adults. Bars on a 0–100% scale.
YouGov Wave 1, n = 2,093, 15–16 September 2026.
03Health & Longevity
Peaks in Boomers35%of adultsView profile +Close ×
Key insight
- Women lead: 40% vs. 30% of men.
- Highest at ages 55+ (39%), lowest at 18–24 (22%).
Self-identification with Health & Longevity. Respondents could select all applicable cultural resonance fields.
Identify with this culture
By generation & gender
- Gen Z
- 27%
- Millennials
- 33%
- Gen X
- 34%
- Boomers
- 41%
- All adults
- 35%
- Men
- 30%
- Women
- 40%
By age group
- 18–24 years
- 22%
- 25–34 years
- 34%
- 35–44 years
- 34%
- 45–54 years
- 33%
- 55+ years
- 39%
Black line = all adults. Bars on a 0–100% scale.
YouGov Wave 2, n = 2,135, 16–18 September 2026.
04Outdoor
Peaks in Millennials31%of adultsView profile +Close ×
Key insight
- Even across genders: 31% of men, 31% of women.
- Highest at ages 35–44 (38%), lowest at 18–24 (25%).
Self-identification with Outdoor. Respondents could select all applicable cultural resonance fields.
Identify with this culture
By generation & gender
- Gen Z
- 27%
- Millennials
- 38%
- Gen X
- 31%
- Boomers
- 27%
- All adults
- 31%
- Men
- 31%
- Women
- 31%
By age group
- 18–24 years
- 25%
- 25–34 years
- 34%
- 35–44 years
- 38%
- 45–54 years
- 34%
- 55+ years
- 27%
Black line = all adults. Bars on a 0–100% scale.
YouGov Wave 2, n = 2,135, 16–18 September 2026.
05DIY & Making
Cross-generational30%of adultsView profile +Close ×
Key insight
- Women lead: 35% vs. 26% of men.
- Stable across age groups (29–32%).
Self-identification with DIY & Making. Respondents could select all applicable cultural resonance fields.
Identify with this culture
By generation & gender
- Gen Z
- 28%
- Millennials
- 33%
- Gen X
- 30%
- Boomers
- 30%
- All adults
- 30%
- Men
- 26%
- Women
- 35%
By age group
- 18–24 years
- 30%
- 25–34 years
- 32%
- 35–44 years
- 29%
- 45–54 years
- 30%
- 55+ years
- 30%
Black line = all adults. Bars on a 0–100% scale.
YouGov Wave 1, n = 2,093, 15–16 September 2026.
06Soccer
Cross-generational28%of adultsView profile +Close ×
Key insight
- Men lead: 45% vs. 13% of women.
- Stable across age groups (27–29%).
Self-identification with Soccer. Respondents could select all applicable cultural resonance fields.
Identify with this culture
By generation & gender
- Gen Z
- 26%
- Millennials
- 29%
- Gen X
- 29%
- Boomers
- 29%
- All adults
- 28%
- Men
- 45%
- Women
- 13%
By age group
- 18–24 years
- 29%
- 25–34 years
- 27%
- 35–44 years
- 28%
- 45–54 years
- 29%
- 55+ years
- 29%
Black line = all adults. Bars on a 0–100% scale.
YouGov Wave 2, n = 2,135, 16–18 September 2026.
Fitness & Gym
Film & Cinephiles
Gaming
Running
22 more values hidden
Unlock all dataMethodology
05How we
- Institute
- YouGov Deutschland, on behalf of THE AMBITION
- Method
- Online interviews with members of the YouGov panel (Omnibus)
- Sample
- Wave 1: n = 2,093 · Wave 2: n = 2,135
- Fieldwork
- Wave 1: 15–16 September 2026 · Wave 2: 16–18 September 2026
- Population
- Resident population in Germany aged 18+
- Weighting
- Quotas by age, gender and region; results weighted accordingly. Representative.
The question
“Which of the following do you identify with?”
Select all that apply. Asked in two independent waves with 15 and 13 resonance fields respectively; the samples were not combined.
All percentages are commercially rounded to whole numbers. They are based on the weighted results of two independent, population-representative YouGov surveys. Original precision is retained; rounding occurs only on display.
Definitions
- Culture
- A music, sport, lifestyle or media field respondents identify with. Values show the weighted share selecting it; multiple answers were possible. Self-identification does not measure consumption, brand affinity or sponsorship impact.
- Generations
- Gen Z (1997–2012, 18+ only), Millennials (1981–1996), Gen X (1965–1980), Boomers (1946–1964). Respondents born before 1946 are included in the total but not shown separately due to small base sizes.
- Comparability
- Each resonance field was asked in one of two independent representative samples. No respondent assessed all 28 fields. Samples are not pooled. Cross-wave comparisons are descriptive and do not establish statistically significant differences.
For brands
06Strategic implications.
- 01
Look beyond overall size
A resonance field need not be particularly large overall to matter within a specific audience. Anime & Manga, Basketball and Reality TV reach higher shares in selected young age groups.
- 02
Differentiate audiences
Cultural identification varies by audience, even within the same field. Sport illustrates this: Soccer has a relatively even generational distribution, while Basketball reaches 15% of 18–24-year-olds, compared with 5% overall. Tennis & Padel reaches 12% in this age group, compared with 5% overall.
- 03
Recognise adult communities
Gaming and HipHop also matter to adults in working and family life. Gaming reaches 43% of 25–34-year-olds; HipHop reaches 21% of both 25–34- and 35–44-year-olds.
- 04
Find a credible cultural role
Use the intersection of brand identity, audiences and cultural resonance fields to inform culture marketing and sponsorship planning for 2027. Identification alone does not establish sponsorship effectiveness.
FAQ
07Key
The essentials on the Culture Report Germany 2026/27 — what it measures, who conducted it and what it reveals.
- What is the Culture Report Germany 2026/27?
- A report by THE AMBITION based on two exclusive, representative YouGov surveys of self-identification with 28 cultural resonance fields among adults in Germany.
- Which cultural resonance fields reach large audiences?
- Books & Reading reaches 50% of adults, Rock Music 35%, Health & Longevity 35%, Outdoor 31% and Soccer 28%. These are descriptive comparisons across independent waves, not a combined sample.
- How do generations differ?
- HipHop reaches 21% of Gen Z but 5% of Babyboomers; Schlager reaches 27% of Babyboomers but 8% of Gen Z. Gaming reaches 35% of Gen Z and 34% of Millennials.
- Who conducted the study and how?
- YouGov surveyed adults 18+ in Germany in two independent, population-representative online waves: n = 2,093 (15–16 September 2026) and n = 2,135 (16–18 September 2026). Samples were weighted and not pooled.
- What does cultural identification measure?
- Respondents answered which of the listed fields they identify with and could select all applicable answers. This measures self-identification, not consumption behaviour, brand affinity or sponsorship impact.
- How can I access the full results?
- Enter your business contact details to unlock the full dashboard on this page. YouGov marketing consent is optional and is not required for access.