"The world of social media is flashy and fast-paced: those who stand out rise to the top with their ballrooms, space rockets, and chainsaws, dominating the headlines. The researchers for Germany's "Mitte Studie" ("Center Study"), however, turn their attention away from the dazzling personalities and the fringes, to examine those who form the backbone of a democratic and open society, looking at their attitudes toward right-wing extremism, xenophobia and antisemitism."
"The study, conducted annually since 2006 by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which is associated with the center-left Social Democrats, aims to serve as an early warning system for anti-democratic developments. A large team of researchers conducted extensive interviews with 2,000 people in Germany. The sample represents a cross-section of German society in terms of voting behavior, education, income, and origin."
"Contrary to all expectations and despite of the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, support for overt right-wing extremism in Germany is on the decline: only 3% of respondents have a firmly right-wing extremist worldview significantly less than in the past. "The center has become more stable. It has slowed down support for right-wing extremism," Andreas Zick, director of the Institute for Conflict and Violence Research at Bielefeld University, told DW."
Nearly 80% of respondents stated firm commitment to democracy, an increase of 6% from four years earlier. The annual Mitte Studie, run since 2006 by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, surveyed 2,000 people representing a cross-section of German society by voting behavior, education, income, and origin. Support for overt right-wing extremism fell, with only 3% holding a firmly right-wing extremist worldview. A large part of society views democracy and diversity positively. Seventy percent of those surveyed see the rise of right-wing extremism as a threat, and the political center has become more stable despite AfD gains.
Read at www.dw.com
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