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New GermanMitte’ Study Finds Fewer Hard‑Right Extremists as Trust in Democracy Falls

Researchers say a hardened ambivalent middle signals normalized prejudice, prompting calls for expanded civic education.

Overview

  • Only 3.3% of respondents hold a clearly right‑wing extremist worldview, down from about 8% in 2022/23 and nearer to pre‑crisis levels.
  • Confidence has eroded: 52% say democracy works, a record 24% disagree, about 18% distrust elections, and two in five lack trust in institutions.
  • Roughly 20% sit in an ambivalent ‘grey area’; 15% favor rule by a strong leader and 25% back a single dominant party representing the ‘Volksgemeinschaft’.
  • Group‑based hostility remains widespread, with over 30% expressing negative views of asylum seekers, 36% of the long‑term unemployed, 19% of trans people, and 17% endorsing Israel‑related antisemitic sentiment.
  • Risk patterns are sharper among 18–34‑year‑olds (7% with a right‑extremist worldview), men, and those with lower education or income, while concern about climate change has fallen to 56%.