TOPICS

The values and beliefs of the German people are not so much different from the American's, they may just be a little more conservative. Germans value their family and friends, work (and party) hard, are punctual and tidy.

The vast majority of Germans are Christian with 38% Protestants, 34% Roman Catholics, Muslim 1.7% (due to the about 2.4% Turkish people). Unaffiliated with any denomination are about 26.3%. For more information about the protestant church in Germany, visit their German web site.

So the topics for conversation are similar to the ones in the US: Business, politics, sports, health/beauty, entertainment/movies, family/children, household. Their respective priorities vary with the gender of the speaker in the same way. However, Germans have less qualms about getting into a truly animated discussion about subjects such as religion or politics, topics Americans are rather careful about.

In general, Germans are politically well informed, care much about the environment / recycling and love to talk about sports as much as the Americans do (although they favor disciplines like soccer or tennis and have hardly any interest in baseball or football). Most American movies and many TV series are synchronized and shown in German theaters or the television just a few weeks after their release in the States.