Study on democracy: A quarter of Germans want an authoritarian right-wing dictatorship

Satisfaction with democracy in Germany has reached its lowest levels. At the same time, the past is idealized and the longing for a radical break with the present is expressed. The desire for a strong party is growing, and anti-Semitic voices are rising. These are the main findings of the study on authoritarianism presented on Wednesday (11 November 2026) in Berlin, which has been conducted every two years since 2002.

The study is supervised by the Ilse Fraenkel-Brunswick Institute for Democracy Research (EFBI) at the University of Leipzig, Germany. The institute is supported by the Otto Brenner Foundation, which is close to the steelworkers' union (IG Metall), and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, which is close to the Green Party.

As part of the 2026 representative survey, the opinions of more than 2,500 people were randomly polled between mid-March and early June. About 40 percent of them filled out the comprehensive questionnaire.

For the first time since the study began about two and a half decades ago, the percentage of support for democracy as an idea fell to slightly below the 90 percent threshold. This is primarily due to a huge loss of confidence among respondents in eastern Germany (85.7 percent). The decline in support for democracy in daily life appears more serious: at the national level, only a third of respondents express their satisfaction with it, with percentages falling sharply both in the east (22.8 percent) and in the west of the country (36 percent).

The growing rejection of democracy is also reflected in the desire for a right-wing authoritarian dictatorship as a system of government: nearly a quarter of respondents explicitly support the desire for “one strong party that embodies popular society as a whole.” In the eastern regions, this percentage is 30.9 percent, which is much higher than the German average of 22.3 percent.

"Our democracy is under great pressure. It has lost its appeal among a wide segment of the population. What is worrying is the extent to which it has been replaced by a longing for an authoritarian regime," sums up Oliver Dekker, a social psychology researcher and the study's lead author.

Far-right attitudes rose for the second time in a row. It is worth noting in particular that national pride, which takes the form of chauvinism, recorded its highest percentage since the beginning of the series of studies, with support for it reaching 19.9 percent. The percentage of people who adopt a coherent right-wing extremist worldview reached 6.9 percent, the highest percentage since 2014.

Nearly 15 percent of respondents explicitly endorsed the view that “everything must fall apart in order for something new to arise again.” Nearly a third of respondents believe that “radical action is needed to change the current situation.” Another 29.1 percent also partially agree.

According to the study, those who have this wish for radical change express more clearly anti-Semitic feelings. The study indicates that the majority of voters who belong to this trend prefer the Alternative for Germany party.

“In its violent rhetoric, the AfD promises to achieve the political goals of far-right ideology.” The form and content are exactly the same as the message that a relevant segment of the population wants to hear. “It provides a political haven for those who embrace extreme right-wing thought while at the same time presenting itself as having broad social bases.”

Johannes Kiss, a member of the team studying authoritarianism, calls on political officials at all levels to take countermeasures: “The move away from the present must be countered with convincing democratic offers and the capacity for political action in the present.” This also applies to the marked rise in anti-Semitism, which has doubled since 2022 by 6.2 percent.

When asked about the motives for anti-Semitic attitudes, the results show that the policy of the State of Israel is the decisive factor for 16 percent. This also represents the highest level recorded in the history of the study. While in 2020 the percentage was much higher in the East (12 percent) than in the West (8.4 percent), the percentages are now equal. Indeed, anti-Semitism associated with Israel is slightly stronger in the West than in the East.

Hostility towards Muslims is also increasing. It peaked in 2018 at more than 40 percent and subsequently dropped significantly below 30 percent and currently stands at 34.1 percent. These numbers in each poll are based on two statements, each of which is supported by participants: “Muslims should be prevented from immigrating to Germany” and “Because of the large number of Muslims here, I sometimes feel like a stranger in my country.”

The opinion is also taken that the study is hostile to women. In the current poll, 18.3 percent agreed with statements against the feminist movement. Strikingly: by far a higher percentage of East Germans were opposed to liberalization efforts. In 2024, the difference between the East (34.6 percent) and the West (19.6 percent) was huge. After two years, the percentage in the east was reduced by half, reaching 17.8 percent, while in western Germany it decreased only slightly, to 18.4 percent.

Despite the negative trend, a glimmer of hope appears at the conclusion of the Leipzig study on authoritarianism: while the results were described as “worrying,” the trajectories recorded over many years showed that there is a possibility of reversing this trend: “Right-wing extremist statements had high approval ratings in previous polls, but they declined again in the following years. In addition to the impact of societal crises, political action and its societal perception are of central importance.”