Germany grappling with worrying rise in far-right ideology — study

One in 12 people in Germany shares a right-wing extremist worldview, according to a new study.

The research by Friedrich Ebert Foundation published on Thursday has found that the number of people with far-right views has significantly increased in the past two years and has exceeded 8 percent.

In the foundation’s 2020/2021 survey, less than 2 percent of the respondents had clearly expressed support for right-wing extremist views.

Researchers said the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, skyrocketing energy prices, and high inflation are creating challenges for the democratic parties in the centre, and strengthening the far-right.

“Insecurities and conflicts over who gets what and how much are providing a gateway for right-wing extremist ideologies and anti-democratic attitudes,” the researchers said in a summary of their report.

Praising Nazis

According to the survey, trust in the institutions and in the functioning of democracy in Germany has fallen to below 60 percent.

The number of those who see themselves more to the right of the democratic centre has significantly increased, from 9 percent to 15.5 percent.

More than 16 percent of those surveyed approved xenophobic statements, while 5.7 percent expressed antisemitic views. Some 4 percent played down crimes committed by Hitler and praised Nazi ideology or policies.

Over 6 percent agreed with the statement that a dictatorship and a single strong party would be a preferable form of government for Germany.

The research was based on a nationally representative survey carried out between January and February 2023.