YouGov survey on behalf of Bosch Power Tools: Lawnmower instead of barbecue tong

Planting herbs, cutting hedges, trimming the lawn: Germans love working in the garden, as a representative YouGov survey on behalf of Bosch Power Tools shows. The survey asked people with garden access, among other things, how they like to spend their time in the garden. The result is surprising: 73 percent of the respondents named gardening as their favorite activity – even before having a barbecue (65 percent). The survey respondents were aged 18 and over, having access to a garden.

A second living room in the open air

Hardworking, accurate and tidy: German stereotypes that apparently apply to local garden owners. The respondents spend an average of 11 hours a week in the garden during the months from March to October. This includes around six and a half hours of caring for the lawn, the bed, etc. The study reveals a wide variety of reasons for the huge popularity of garden care. For two thirds of the respondents (65 percent), the prospect of good results seems to be the greatest motivator – they say they enjoy having a beautiful garden. 46 percent feel relaxed when working outdoors; 40 percent claim that gardening keeps them fit. The creative, physical work can thus also be a decelerating balance to the desk job and stressful everyday life.

Common gardening: Shared work is half the work

Do it yourself is a current trend – and this also applies to gardening. Around four out of five of the respondents get their hands dirty when relevant tasks arise – regardless of gender. What’s more: Gardening is teamwork. More than half of the respondents (53 percent) work in the garden together with their partner. The result is even clearer with married couples: 71 percent say that they can count on their partner’s support. A joint project and “quality time” experienced together could be possible reasons why cooperative garden care is so popular with Germans.

The right helpers is what counts

Of course, the Germans don’t want to do without suitable helpers, if they put on hand in the garden themselves. Nearly everyone (98 percent) is using garden tools. For almost every second person, good work equipment even increases the fun of gardening. Which device do the Germans not want to miss? The result is hardly surprising: with 85 percent, the lawnmower is the undisputed champion among the garden tools – for almost all respondents it is indispensable. But no matter whether the tool is a mower, a hedgecutter or a trimmer – in their numerous designs, they make the work easier and much more pleasant. When asked which devices the respondents wanted, cordless tools won the race (43 percent). Ergonomic devices that relieve back strain, for example, are also of interest (36 percent). Lawn mowing, trimming, cleaning, shaping hedges or trees – Bosch Power Tools makes gardening easy and offers the right tool for all tasks around the house, from noise-reduced lawnmowers to power-assisted cordless secateurs.

The data used is based on a representative online survey carried out by YouGov Deutschland GmbH with a total of 1683 respondents over the age of 18 in Germany from 19 to 27 of June 2019; 1009 persons had access to a garden directly at home, a shared garden or a garden plot.