Exchange-Traded Funds are now among the most widely known investment products in Germany, with three quarters of the population claiming to have heard of them.
But that high awareness does not translate into a solid understanding. This is one of the key findings of a survey conducted by the opinion research institute Forsa on behalf of Franklin Templeton among 1,000 adults in Germany in February 2026.
Despite their broad popularity, respondents judge their own ETF knowledge critically. On average, they rate their knowledge of the vehicle at 4.5 (6 being the worst) on the German grading scale – equivalent to “insufficient.”
More than half (54%) describe their knowledge as inadequate, while only 12% consider it good or very good. At the same time, 61% believe that Germans, overall, invest their money too conservatively.
Differences are particularly pronounced across gender, age, and income groups. Men are significantly more likely than women to say they can explain ETFs. Younger respondents aged 18 to 34, as well as households with higher incomes, also rate their knowledge more positively.
Christian Machts, Country Head for Germany and Austria at Franklin Templeton, said: “ETFs are widely accepted, but not widely understood. This gap is shaping investment behaviour in Germany today. With this survey, we wanted to better understand where investors are looking for guidance – and what is preventing them from turning existing interest into long‑term investment decisions. The challenge now is turning awareness into action.”
The survey also revealed that ETFs are fundamentally attractive to many Germans. If they had €10,000 freely available today, more than one third say they would invest it in ETFs – more than in any other investment option. Among experienced investors, this figure rises to nearly 60%.
In reality, however, conservative products still dominate. Around two thirds of Germans use overnight deposit accounts, and more than half rely on savings or passbook accounts.
Only around three in ten respondents currently hold indexed ETFs, that track an index on a rule‑based basis. Many are aware that inaction can be a risk in itself: one third says they fear not investing their money more than experiencing a market crash. At the same time, 42% feel overwhelmed by the sheer range of ETFs available – suggesting that a lack of orientation, rather than a lack of interest, is a key barrier to investing.
ETFs are increasingly seen as a core tool for long‑term retirement planning. Forty‑three percent of respondents consider them an important building block for retirement, and 44% believe that without securities‑based savings plans, financial constraints in later life are likely. Nevertheless, actual implementation remains cautious.
Where investors are already active, however, a clear pattern emerges: three quarters of ETF investors use savings plans. Younger investors, in particular, favour automated investing – more than 80% of those aged 18 to 34 invest via ETF saving plans.
The representative population survey was conducted by the opinion research institute Forsa on behalf of Franklin Templeton between 3 and 6 February 2026. A total of 1,009 German‑speaking adults aged 18 and over living in private households were surveyed. The study was conducted online with a margin of error of ±3 percentage points.
