University of Leipzig
Study: AfD has not yet exhausted its voter potential in East Germany
In East Germany, people have a particularly big heart for the AfD
© Martin Schutt / DPA
The AfD finds good breeding ground in East Germany. Many are dissatisfied, especially with the migration policy. Some even have a “closed right-wing extremist world view”.
According to a new study, the right-wing AfD could East Germany will continue to grow. According to the Leipzig University study published on Wednesday, the party has already successfully attracted the extreme right-wing potential voters, but also has a large reservoir of non-voters with similar views.
According to the authors, the detailed survey of around 3,500 people in East Germany shows high approval ratings for right-wing extremist and anti-migration statements and chauvinism. Such attitudes have been essentially stable for 30 years, the study says.
For example, 26.3 percent of respondents fully agreed with the statement that Germany now needs a “strong party that embodies the national community as a whole”. 14 percent found the statement correct: “We should have a leader who governs Germany with a strong hand for the benefit of all”.
41.3 percent fully supported the statement: “Foreigners only come here to take advantage of our welfare state” and 36.6 percent behind the sentence: “The Federal Republic is overwhelmed by the many foreigners to a dangerous degree.” In addition, there were other respondents who partially supported these statements – the authors speak of a “latent approval”.
“A challenge for democracy that should not be underestimated”
The authors see a “closed right-wing extremist worldview” in 7.1 percent of those surveyed. The value is slightly below comparable studies for the years 2002 to 2010, when 8.0 percent were determined, and the years 2012 to 2020 with 9.7 percent. Nevertheless, this is “a very high percentage, which poses a challenge for democracy that should not be underestimated,” according to the study.
According to the study, support for the idea of democracy and the constitutional order is high in principle, but there is great dissatisfaction with democracy in everyday life. 77.4 percent of respondents say: “People like me have no influence on what the government does anyway.” And 64.6 percent agree with the statement: “I think it’s pointless to get involved in politics.”
The representative study was carried out by the Else Frenkel Brunswik Institute at the University of Leipzig. The total number of respondents was 3546.