In western Germany, approval of xenophobic statements has increased significantly and is thus approaching attitudes in the east. This is according to the Leipzig Authoritarianism Study 2024, which was conducted at the Competence Center for Research on Right-Wing Extremism and Democracy at Leipzig University and was recently published.
In the West, the proportion with a closed xenophobic world view has risen from 12.6% (2022) to 19.3%. 31.1 percent of respondents in the West agreed with the statement that Germany is „over-foreignized by so many foreigners“. Two years ago, the figure was 22.7 percent. In the eastern German federal states, approval rose from 38.4 to 44.3 percent in the same period.
The study also revealed that satisfaction with democracy in Germany is declining. Although 90.4% of all respondents approved of democracy as an idea (in 2022 it was still 94.3%). However, only 42.3% of respondents approved of „democracy as it functions in the Federal Republic of Germany“. The interviewees were also asked about their attitudes towards Muslims, which showed that hostility towards Muslims has increased in the West. In 2022, only a quarter to a third of West Germans were prepared to disparage Muslims. Today it is just under half.
The study makes it clear that many people perceive the future as uncertain, according to the authors: „Although democracy is viewed skeptically, it is unclear whether the desire for authoritarian or extreme-right solutions will last longer.“ This development is not limited to East Germany; such attitudes are now also more open in West Germany.
The Leipzig Authoritarianism Study has been conducted regularly since 2002 and records the attitudes of the population towards authoritarian and anti-democratic tendencies. A representative sample of 2,500 people were surveyed.
To the Leipzig University press release: Leipzig University: Authoritarianism Study (2024)
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Leipzig Authoritarianism Study: Attitudes between East and West are converging (symbolic image). Photo: Leipzig University / Thomas Häse.