"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."
"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."
An annual survey interviewed 2,000 people across Germany, sampling a cross-section by voting behavior, education, income, and origin. The Friedrich Ebert Foundation conducts the research to detect anti-democratic trends. Nearly 80% of respondents said they are staunchly committed to democracy, a 6% increase from four years earlier. Only 3% of respondents hold a firmly right-wing extremist worldview, a substantial decline. Andreas Zick noted that the center has become more stable and slowed support for right-wing extremism. Seventy percent view the rise of right-wing extremism as a threat, and a large part of society views democracy and diversity positively.
Read at www.dw.com
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