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Das Profil der AfD-AnhängerInnen hat sich seit Gründung der Partei deutlich verändert

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Kroh
  • Karolina Fetz

Abstract

Three years after its founding, the Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland, AfD) is now represented in eight German Landtagen. The party, which was founded with a eurosceptical and national conservative profile, has changed notably both in terms of its agenda and its representatives, and is increasingly starting to resemble other right-wing populist parties in Europe. According to the present study, which is based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) for the years 2014 through 2016, the AfD is drawing in supporters relatively quickly. Today, the AfD boasts more followers than the Republicans, the German People’s Union, or the National Democratic Party, respectively, ever have—that is, roughly as many as the Free Democratic Party’s longterm average or somewhat fewer than the Greens had in the ‘80s. The party’s base has also grown in scope and changed significantly in composition: more and more rightwingers and non-voters, as well as citizens who are antiimmigration or dissatisfied with the current democracy, are identifying with the AfD. Die Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) ist drei Jahre nach ihrer Gründung in acht deutschen Landtagen vertreten. Die mit europakritischem und national-konservativem Profil gegründete Partei hat sich sowohl programmatisch als auch personell stark verändert und ähnelt zunehmend anderen rechtspopulistischen Parteien in Europa. Die vorliegende Untersuchung auf Basis der Daten des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) der Jahre 2014 bis 2016 deutet darauf hin, dass die Bindung der AnhängerInnen an die AfD verhältnismäßig schnell erfolgt ist. Drei Jahre nach Gründung geben mehr Menschen an, sich mit der AfD verbunden zu fühlen, als jemals mit den Republikanern, der DVU oder der NPD. Der Anteil der Parteibindungen ist im Falle der AfD damit ungefähr so hoch wie das langfristige Mittel der FDP und etwas unter dem Niveau der Grünen in den 1980er Jahren. Die AfD-AnhängerInnenschaft ist im Umfang gewachsen und hat sich in ihrer Zusammensetzung deutlich verändert: Die Partei findet ihre AnhängerInnen mehr und mehr unter NichtwählerInnen und im Lager rechtsextremer Parteien sowie unter BürgerInnen, die angaben, unzufrieden mit der Demokratie zu sein und solchen, die erklärten, sich vor Zuwanderung zu fürchten.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Kroh & Karolina Fetz, 2016. "Das Profil der AfD-AnhängerInnen hat sich seit Gründung der Partei deutlich verändert," DIW Wochenbericht, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 83(34), pages 711-719.
  • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwob:83-34-1
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Rohrer, Julia M. & Brümmer, Martin & Schupp, Jürgen & Wagner, Gert G., 2021. "Worries across time and age in the German Socio-Economic Panel study," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 332-343.
    2. Schilling, Pia & Stillman, Steven, 2021. "The Impact of Natives' Attitudes Towards Immigrants on Their Integration in the Host Country," IZA Discussion Papers 14728, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Julia M. Rohrer & Martin Bruemmer & Jürgen Schupp & Gert G. Wagner, 2017. "Worries across Time and Age in Germany: Bringing Together Open- and Close-Ended Questions," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1671, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    4. Daniel Baron, 2018. "Who Identifies with the AfD? Explorative Analyses in Longitudinal Perspective," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 983, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    5. Schilling, Pia & Stillman, Steven, 2024. "The impact of natives’ attitudes on refugee integration," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    6. Felix Rösel & Julia Sonnenburg, 2016. "Politisch abgehängt? Kreisgebietsreform und AfD Wahlergebnis in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern," ifo Dresden berichtet, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 23(06), pages 06-13, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Alternative für Deutschland; Party identification; SOEP;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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