When competitors compare the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) with the AfD, BSW politicians often react indignantly. Researchers have looked at similarities and differences among followers.
According to a recent study, the supporters of the AfD and BSW are similar in terms of education and income as well as a critical attitude towards the USA. However, according to the study by Leipzig researcher Oliver Decker, dissatisfaction with democracy and resentment against certain population groups – especially against Muslims – are significantly more pronounced among those who feel drawn to the AfD than among supporters of the new party Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW ).
The study is entitled “Is there a chance for a new party? AfD supporters and the prospect of a left-of-center alternative”.
The authors come to the conclusion that voters who supported extreme right-wing politics are no longer tied to the major democratic parties “based on milieu-determined voter loyalty” but now represent their own political milieu Those who expressed sympathy for the AfD and BSW around the turn of the year were therefore an above-average number of people with a rather low level of formal education and a low income. Men are also overrepresented in both groups, as the authors of the study found.
AfD voters clearly agree with anti-Semitism
Voters of the Green Party positioned themselves on the left, but – just like voters of the Union parties, the SPD and the FDP – they were less critical of capitalism and anti-American than average. On the other hand, supporters of the Left, the BSW and the AfD had above-average values.
When it comes to anti-Semitism, AfD voters showed the clearest support, the study goes on to say, while those of the Green Party showed the lowest support. In order to measure anti-Semitism, the opinion research institute Bilendi, on behalf of the researchers, asked participants in an online survey to take a position on twelve statements. These statements included sentences such as “Israeli policy is making the Jews more and more unpleasant to me” and “We should focus on current problems rather than events that have passed more than 70 years.”
Anti-Americanism was measured in the survey by asking participants to rate the sentence “American imperialism is the real threat to world peace.” One of the three statements about capitalism was the sentence “Real democracy is only possible when capitalism no longer exists.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
