AfD-Hoch: The majority is therefore worried about democracy

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in numerous German cities last weekend to protest against the xenophobic and democracy-threatening policies of the AfD and other right-wing populist groups in the country. For months, the AfD has been polling at over 20 percent nationwide and is currently over 30 percent in some eastern German states. There she could even aim for the post of Prime Minister after the state elections coming up in the fall.

Given the high poll numbers for the AfD, the vast majority of Germans fear that the existence of democracy could be at risk. These are the results of a current Forsa survey for the star. 63 percent of German citizens are very or even very worried about the existence of our free basic order. 36 percent, on the other hand, worry less or not at all. The fears are particularly pronounced among SPD and Green voters (86 and 85 percent). As expected, it was very low among AfD supporters (six percent).

Concern about AfD high: differences between East and West

There are significant differences between East (49 percent) and West (66 percent). The biggest surprise comes from non-voters, who apparently don’t care about politics: 58 percent are very or very worried about the existence of the political system. If these citizens were to vote, it could limit the success of the AfD. In the 2019 state elections in Thuringia, the fictitious party of non-voters was the strongest with 35 percent.

The data was collected by the market and opinion research institute forsa for RTL Group Germany on January 18 and 19, 2024. Database: 1003 respondents. Statistical margin of error: +/- 3 percentage points