German Internet users and Google search trends

In 2022, German users mostly used the Google search engine to find news and background information about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Apart from this, people were very interested in sports programs, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the disease caused by the corona virus, Covid-19. Why did Russia attack the neighboring country? Why was this the most frequently asked Google search question in Germany in 2022?

Google recently revealed that the topic of Russian aggression against the neighboring country topped the search activity of Internet users in Germany. The word Ukraine topped the main lists of general search terms and headlines. However, the war in Ukraine was not limited to general searches, but the topic was also covered in headlines, top questions of the year, politicians’ conversations and ‘memes’.

For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin not only topped the Google search for politicians in Germany, but also topped the list of prominent politicians. Putin came out on top in questions starting with how. For example, a question was asked about Putin’s age, while Putin was also ranked highest in memes. In the list of politicians, President Putin’s biggest rival, Ukrainian President Zelensky, was ranked fifth.

Moreover, the novel coronavirus, which had topped the search engine for the past few years, was no longer on the list. Instead, the focus of Google users’ attention was the monkeypox epidemic, which also occurred in Germany in 2022.

However, a look at the list of popular common questions (questions that start with how) suggests that there is still a need for information about the epidemic or that there is confusion about the government’s approach at the federal and state levels.

How long should the quarantine be? This was the question that ranked second on the list of questions while the question, How long does a PCR test take?, ranked fourth.

After these questions, the question “How long is a person considered recovered?” was ranked fifth and the question “How long are you considered vaccinated?” was ranked seventh. How long does Corona last?, this question was ranked ninth and how long can Corona infect someone else?, ranked tenth.

Google search trends also show how important sports are in the lives of Germans. Despite the fact that Germany’s men’s national team performed poorly, WM 2022 ranked second on the general search list after Ukraine, followed by the Olympic Games at 2222. Queen’s was ranked fourth in the general search term. Also on the farewell list, the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the queen of many Germans’ hearts, topped the list. Google users also expressed interest in the untimely deaths of pop singer Aaron Carter and actress Anne Heche.

The list of questions that start with what is the most searched question on Google may come as a surprise. So many people wanted to know Akren, a Germanic medical word or term derived from Greek? However, viewers of the German quiz show, who want to become millionaires, should know the answer to this question. A candidate almost lost an RTL show in January because of this question.