Democracy study: One-quarter of Germans want a right-wing authoritarian dictatorship

Democracy study: How authoritarian are Germans?

Satisfaction with democracy in Germany has hit a new low, while the past is being idealized, and people are expressing a longing for a radical break. Antisemitic sentiments and the desire for an authoritarian leader are also on the rise. These are key findings of the authoritarianism study presented Wednesday in Berlin, which has been conducted every two years since 2002.

The study, led by the Else Frenkel-Brunswik Institute for Democracy Research at the University of Leipzig, is based on the answers to a questionnaire by 2,507 respondents, who the researchers say are a representative cross-section of the German population.

For the first time since the study series began, approval of democracy as an idea fell just below the 90% mark, which the study said is primarily attributable to a loss of trust among respondents in the former East Germany (85.7%). The decline in approval of democracy as experienced in everyday life is even more severe: Nationwide, only one-third are satisfied with democracy, with figures having fallen sharply both in eastern (22.8%) and western (36%) states.

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The growing rejection of democracy is also reflected in the desire for some kind of authoritarian nationalist government: Just under a quarter of respondents explicitly supported the idea of a "single strong party that embodies the national community as a whole." In the east, the figure stands at 30.9%, above the Germany-wide average of 22.3%.

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