People in Germany were "more positive about social cohesion" than they had been at the beginning of the year before the COVID-19 crisis struck the country, according to a study published by the Bertelsmann Foundation on Wednesday.

In February, almost one in two German citizens saw cohesion in Germany to be at risk, according to the study. By March, the share dropped to 40 percent. It further declined to 36 percent between May and June.

The study interviewed 3,010 people aged 16 and over in February and March and interviewed 1,000 of them again in May and June, when COVID-19 contact restrictions had been eased in Germany, according to the Bertelsmann Foundation.

"We are registering an upswing in the general mood in our snapshot up to the beginning of June," said Kai Unzicker, senior project manager at the Bertelsmann Foundation.

The study also found that Germans were increasingly caring about their fellow human beings. While in February, 41 percent of Germans did not care about fellow citizens, in May and June only 21 percent expressed this opinion.

Furthermore, trust in the German government increased significantly compared to pre-COVID-19 levels and increased from 19 percent to 45 percent in the latest survey, according to the Bertelsmann Foundation.

"Many people are initially relieved that the first effects of the pandemic have so far been relatively mild in their eyes," stressed Unzicker and added that at the same time, a majority of Germans had "experienced great solidarity and consideration."