Around the world, authoritarian regimes are on the rise, populist\ngroups are gaining momentum, and democratic societies face mounting\npressure. War, inflation, and fears of economic decline are fuelling\nconsiderable uncertainty.<\/p>\n
The Germany Monitor 2025 survey shows that the majority of Germans\ncontinue to believe in democracy, with support for democracy as a form\nof government actually increasing, particularly in eastern Germany. This\nwas stated by the Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany,\nElisabeth Kaiser, in Berlin on Thursday (19 February).<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a good thing that democracy as a form of government enjoys\nfull support from citizens. Even in the east,\u201d said Kaiser, who is also\na member of parliament from the Social Democratic Party (SPD).<\/p>\n
Changes within democracy were the primary focus of the study. A\nrepresentative sample of 4,000 respondents aged over 16 across Germany\nwere surveyed from spring 2025 to September. The research was jointly\nconducted by the Centre for Social Studies in Halle, the University of\nJena, and the Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences (GESIS), and was\nfunded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany.<\/p>\n
Kaiser noted that whilst 98% of respondents expressed belief in the\nidea of democracy, only 60% considered the current system to be\nfunctioning well. She also highlighted a lack of understanding regarding\nfundamental democratic principles: only 68% of respondents were aware\nthat democracy means the government must comply with parliamentary\ndecisions and the principle of separation of powers.<\/p>\n
Some 21% of respondents showed openness to authoritarian governance.\nThe researchers concluded that high levels of support for democracy do\nnot mean \u201cthere is no one who supports autocratic or authoritarian\ntransformation in society.\u201d<\/p>\n
Across Germany, 31% of respondents agreed with the statement that\n\u201cGermany currently needs a single strong party that represents the will\nof all the people.\u201d In the former German Democratic Republic (East\nGermany before 1990), the figure reached 35%. Nevertheless, only 4% of\nrespondents agreed with the statement \u201cunder certain circumstances, a\ndictatorship is a better form of government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Germans Accept Change<\/p>\n
Survey participants perceived the greatest shift in attitudes on the\nissue of defence. Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine nearly\nfour years ago, Germany has begun discussing increased defence\ninvestment, the strengthening of the Bundeswehr (German armed forces),\nand the reintroduction of conscription.<\/p>\n
More recently, some Germans also feel they can no longer fully rely\non military support from the United States under President Donald\nTrump.<\/p>\n
Sociologist Reinhard Pollak from Mannheim, who led the research\nalongside seven colleagues, summarised their findings at a press\nconference in Berlin: \u201cA quarter of the population wants change. Another\nquarter says: We are sceptical, this is too fast and too broad for us.\nAnd the neutral majority is ambivalent and says, \u2018It depends.\u2019 What\nsurprised us was that there was such a clear picture, and society in\ngeneral is not weary of change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mixed Views on Immigration<\/p>\n
The study also revealed that Germans hold diverse views on the\ncontroversial issue of immigration, which the conservative coalition\ngovernment of the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union\n(CDU\/CSU) seeks to restrict.<\/p>\n
Some 68% of respondents considered it necessary for Germany to\nrecruit skilled workers from abroad, and 59% believed the country should\nmore actively promote the integration of immigrants. However, 28% of\nrespondents felt the increase in immigration since 2015 had brought many\nnegative changes.<\/p>\n
This figure aligns with the national level of support for the\nright-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has made\nopposition to immigration a central campaign issue.<\/p>\n
East-West Divide<\/p>\n
The research also identified differences between eastern and western\nGermany. The research team found that in the west, optimism and\nwillingness to accept change did not depend on whether respondents lived\nin affluent or disadvantaged areas. Conversely, in the east, economic\nfactors played a significant role: residents of less prosperous areas\ntended to be more sceptical of the state and its institutions.<\/p>\n
This was also reflected in assessments of the German reunification\nprocess since 1990. In western Germany, approximately 55% of respondents\nviewed reunification positively. In eastern Germany, supportive\nrespondents varied in number. The figure reached 72% in economically\nstronger areas, particularly large cities, but only 49% in less\neconomically developed regions.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/latest-survey-reveals-majority-of-germans-support-democracy-1771893548", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }