In September 2018, seven members of the Freundeskreis Chemnitz 2025 e.V. drove through the city early in the morning for three hours on the tram lines. They wanted to talk to Chemnitzers about the Capital of Culture application and their conclusion was very positive. More than three quarters of the 70 people they contacted had already heard about the Chemnitz application for the title and about 80% of them thought it was good.

The most frequent criticisms by which people do not give Chemnitz a chance to win the title are, for example

– too few offers for different age groups
– no nightlife
– too poor infrastructure or lack of long-distance rail connections
– Ruins in the outskirts that affect the cityscape

Despite all the negative criticism, the people of Chemnitz also thought that the title would give Chemnitz the chance to present a positive image of the city to the outside world, to make it better known and to bring even more creative minds to Chemnitz. Especially the urban development was attached great importance by some of the interview partners in the course of the application.