Abridged English version of the SCHUFA Credit Compass 2008

Debt Compass | A | Basic Analysis A-1 | 3
3.4 Regional view of risk levels – young adults
While the previous chapters (maps 3.3.1 through 3.3.4) presented the regional occurrence of the
percentage of all individuals over 18 years old in the contained in the SCHUFA data portfolio, the
following maps of Germany (3.4.1 through 3.4.4) only account for young adults between 18 and
24 years old.
Divided into green, yellow, orange and red risk levels, the various maps of Germany show for
2007 the percentage of 18 to 24 year olds out of all young adults in the respective county and
the respective risk level.
For the regional view of risk levels among young adults, it should be borne in mind that a
pre-dominant number of people under 25 years old still reside in the household of their parents.
An external analysis showed that about 99 percent of 18 to 19 year olds and approx. 61 percent
of 20 to 24 year olds still live with their parents. 4 Therefore, let it be noted for the red level
in particular that it does not always amount to an actual over-indebted situation. Many 18 to 24
year olds are still likely to have the financial resources of the household at their disposal.
Although not all young adults in the orange and red risk levels find themselves directly in overindebtedness
or at risk of over-indebtedness, nevertheless it is critical to assess entrance into one
of these levels against the background of a potential “over-indebtedness career”.
4 Zimmermann, G.E.: Sozialprofile ver- und überschuldeter Personen, Auswertungen auf Basis des
Sozio-oekonomischen Panel (SOEP), [Social profile of indebted and over-indebted individuals,
evaluation on the basis of Socio-economic Panel (SOEP) data] in: SCHUFA holding company (ed.),
Debt Compass 2005, Wiesbaden 2005, p. 144.
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