Overview
- The Leipziger Autoritarismus-Studie, published on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, reports that approval of democracy as an ideal fell below 90 percent for the first time and satisfaction with the functioning of democracy hit a record low.
- The representative survey of 2,507 people found that 23.2 percent of respondents want a single strong party and 14.7 percent openly endorse a violent or apocalyptic break with the current order, with both attitudes stronger in East Germany.
- Measured right‑extremist worldviews and antisemitic views increased nationwide, with specific items showing roughly 15–18 percent agreement on statements that question Israel or frame the Middle East as a colonial conflict.
- The study links regressive nostalgia and 'apocalypse' sentiments to party preference, finding those attitudes correlate with higher support for the AfD and Freie Wähler and a political message that promises a homogeneous 'people's community'.
- Authors and civil‑society groups recommend concrete democratic repairs such as citizens' councils and citizen budgets to restore trust, and they warn that unchecked trends could deepen social grievance, weaken institutions, and reshape voting patterns.