Operational layoffs got more often into the public focus during the past few years. In this paper the following questions are examined: Under which conditions are dismissals accepted by different groups of the population and to what extent cause dismissals internal resistance? The study relies on interviews in East and West Germany with more than 3’000 persons between 20 and 60 years. The results demonstrate: Dismissals are not accepted as self-evident. The evaluation of hypothetical scenarios and own experiences refers to this conclusion. However, the perception of the measures can be affected positively or negatively by the process organization.