interview
Status: 09.11.2022 10:07 a.m
A study shows that the number of people with a closed right-wing extremist world view is falling. At the same time, anti-democratic attitudes are increasing. Democracy researcher Decker explains in an interview why this is and what influence crises have.
tagesschau.de: You have been researching authoritarian and right-wing extremist attitudes in society for years. What has changed over time?
Oliver Decker: We have some good news. This applies to extreme right-wing attitudes: In particular, neo-National Socialist ideologies with their characteristics such as dictatorship support, social Darwinism and the like have massively declined in the Federal Republic, especially in East Germany.
We only have two percent who actually agree with all statements in our questionnaire. Only with them do we speak of a closed right-wing extremist world view. But this message is only half the picture. At the same time, a number of other anti-democratic attitudes have increased.
To person
Oliver Decker is Director of the Else Frenkel Brunswik Institute for Democracy Research in Saxony and Director of the Competence Center for Right-Wing Extremism and Democracy Research, both at the University of Leipzig. Since 2002 he has been conducting studies on right-wing extremism together with Elmar Brähler.
tagesschau.de: That means the problem is shifting.
Decker: Yes, we can see that, for example, xenophobia in East Germany has continued to rise despite the decline. A third of the population now agrees with these statements. I’ll cite an example: “The Federal Republic is overwhelmed by the many foreigners to a dangerous degree.” 40 percent of East Germans find that acceptable. In the West it is just 12.6 percent.
Two years ago in the east it was a little over 25 percent. And it’s not just about this devaluation of foreigners in general. There is also a massive increase in hostility towards Muslims, antigypsyism, and parts of antisemitism, the defense against guilt, have also increased. Sexism and anti-feminism have also increased, which is very interesting in pandemic conditions. Suddenly the wish grows again that women should stay at home at the stove and have their backs free for men.
tagesschau.de: If you look at these results: What influence do the current crises have on them?
Decker: Surprisingly, the crises of the past two years have led to broader acceptance of the democratic system among the population. The constitutional order in the Federal Republic has never received so much approval, more than 90 percent in the East at the moment. Especially in acute crises, the difference to authoritarian, autocratic rulers is obvious. At the same time, the experience of democratic effectiveness is very low. Very few people think it makes sense to get involved.
tagesschau.de: When you look at such results, there is often talk of the division in society. Do we see that in the study results?
Decker: We are dealing with a shift in anti-democratic attitudes. Anti-democratic attitudes that are no longer expressly right-wing extremists, but which are also compatible with right-wing extremists, have gained acceptance among the general public. It is precisely this devaluation of others that is part of an element of right-wing extremist attitudes, but is also an ideology that bridges the broader population. This has less to do with clear polarization than with a fragmentation of society along different lines of conflict. The willingness to polarize on all sorts of questions is constantly growing.
Right-wing extremists are trying to find junctions right there. And they do so because, fundamentally, democracy and democratic cohesion is actually threatened by this constant willingness to fragment and devalue others. There is no longer a common basis, but there is much more willingness to stop communicating with others. And that also leads to successes for the extreme right or the AfD.
tagesschau.de: Does that mean that social cohesion is dwindling and extremist attitudes are becoming compatible?
Decker: Right now we are seeing very strongly that there is a desire to belong to one group that values positively and devalue another. These findings can be identified on different lines of conflict. This can be vaccination/non-vaccination. It can happen that people are devalued because of their gender or their sexual orientation. The willingness to devalue others has increased. The Internet is certainly also a driver in the background here.
tagesschau.de: How can we strengthen social cohesion again?
Decker: On the one hand, we see those who have not been vaccinated in the last two years. In this group, conspiracy ideologies are widely shared, but also very strong other devaluations.
On the other hand, we are also dealing with an initially inconspicuous group within mainstream society. She is even taller and has authoritarian aggressions. They wish that the unvaccinated may be severely punished. Interestingly, they share with the other group a willingness to devalue others. Only the conspiracy mentality is significantly lower.
To find solutions to these anti-democratic reactions, we need to consider the conditions under which people live and work. What has gotten worse in recent years? It was good in pandemic conditions that the executive branch was strengthened for a period. That also gained acceptance. On the other hand, it in turn means that democratic negotiation processes take a back seat. And they basically do that in everyday life, in most institutions, schools, universities, and companies before and after the pandemic. This exacerbates the conflict situation and does not create experience of how democracy works and that it can also function successfully.