literally: “news greed” / meaning: curiosity
They say that God sees everything. But believe me, German neighbors see even more. Especially when it comes to throwing paper in the plastic trash, leaving your bike in the hallway for a moment, or parking against the driving direction.
The word Neugier, however, does not only describe snooping behavior, which is sometimes attributed to elderly Germans in particular. Rather, it also includes factors such as a thirst for knowledge and the desire to explore new subjects. Especially in the land of great thinkers and inventors, this character trait should be particularly strong—or so you would think. However, an EU-wide curiosity study from 2019 gives Germans rather mediocre marks at best. In the investigation carried out by the office supplies manufacturer Viking, Germany only came in 20th place—ahead of Poland and Italy, but miles behind the best-ranked countries Malta, the Czech Republic and Ireland.
The criteria included, for instance, the number of Wikipedia pages viewed or the use of online tools for language learning. No wonder that Germans have little time for this when they spend half the day watching their neighbors through the window.
