Study: A quarter of Germans want right-wing authoritarian dictatorship

A German study reveals an unprecedented decline in satisfaction with democracy, an escalation in extreme nationalism, anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim sentiment, in conjunction with the growing popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

A recent study by the Ilse Frankel-Brunswick Institute for Democracy Research at the University of Leipzig reveals a marked decline in confidence in Germany's democratic system and the escalation of authoritarian and ultra-nationalist tendencies, in an indication of social and political shifts that raise concern about the future of German democracy.

And the results of the study, which has been conducted every two years since 2002, and based on the answers of more than 900 participants, showed that the percentage of supporters of democracy as an idea fell for the first time to less than 90%, while the percentage of those satisfied with the practice of democracy in daily life did not exceed a third of the population, and fell to 22.8% in the eastern states compared to 36% in the western states.

And the study highlighted the growing desire to adopt an authoritarian political system of a nationalist nature, with 22.3% of respondents supporting the idea of a "single strong party that embodies the entire national community," rising to 30.9% in East Germany. The percentage of people with a coherent extreme right-wing stance reached 6.9%, the highest level since 2014, while the ultra-nationalism recorded 19.9%, the highest rate since the start of the study.

The researchers linked the growth of these trends to the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), noting that a segment of the far-right leanings find in the party political representation of its ideas and positions. The results also showed a more than double rise in anti-Semitic sentiment since 2022, along with an increase in anti-Muslim sentiment, which amounted to 34.1%, while 18.3% of participants expressed anti-feminist attitudes.

And despite these alarming indicators, the study points to the possibility of reversing this path, based on previous experiences that witnessed the decline of extreme right-wing positions after their rise, stressing that confronting these trends requires convincing democratic alternatives, and strengthening the ability of political institutions to respond to the demands of society, instead of letting the state of discontent and loss of confidence turn into an incubator of authoritarian and extremist ideas.