An overwhelming majority of East Germans oppose reunification of the two Germanys, with 83 percent perferring to live in a "sovereign socialist state," according to a poll released Friday.
The survey found that only 10 percent of East Germans favor unification with West Germany, the official East German news agency ADN reported. The study was conducted by the Academy-Institute for Sociology and Social Politics in East Berlin.East Germany's communist government consistently has rejected Western calls for reunification.
Asked how proposed new parliamentary elections should be carried out, 21 percent of the survey respondents said "as soon as possible," while 78 percent said they should be held after a period of preparation, ADN reported.
More than 85 percent of the survey sample favored increased economic ties with West Germany, but most rejected the idea of reunification. About 83 percent said they preferred to remain a "sovereign socialist state," the news agency said.
The poll suggested 89 percent of East Germans believe the communist government intends to carry out promised political and economic reforms, but only 35 percent said they believe the present leadership will be capable of solving the problems facing it.
The size of the survey sample and the margin of error were not disclosed in the ADN report.