In the midst of the European economic crisis, the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project decided to conduct a little poll on the European Union countries and how they view each other on various topics.
Amongst the findings, this one stood out: Almost everybody think that Germans are the hardest working people, and the Greeks are the least hardworking ... except the Greeks!
Germany is the most admired nation in the EU and its leader the most respected. The Germans are judged to be Europe’s most hardworking people. And the Germans are the strongest supporters of both European economic integration and the European Union.
Greece is the polar opposite. None of its fellow EU members surveyed see it in a positive light. In turn, Greeks are among the most disparaging of European economic integration and the harshest critics of the European Union. And they see themselves as Europe’s most hardworking people.
Link - via The Economist
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17155304
This is only an important if hours worked and working hard correlate, in many cases they may not. Both stories are likely best interpreted as Germans work harder in fewer hours time.
No, what it really shows is the myths people have about their own countries.
This has been reviewed who knows how many times: Germany, and the overall of the northern european countries, are the ones where people work the least. Really. And by far.
That doesn't mean that's what all people believe.
And that couples with the idea that they work more "productively", which only means they earn more money for the same job.
"hours worked" vs. "working hard": that's a tricky issue, but that really is the sort of myth one has before knowing each of those countries. Live there, work there, and you'll how alike people really are.