Satisfaction with democracy in Germany has fallen to a record low, according to a new study. At the same time, support for far-right attitudes has risen again. This is according to the Leipzig Authoritarianism Study presented in Berlin on 11 November 2026. The researchers do not consider this trend irreversible: they recommend taking the causes of dissatisfaction seriously and explaining clearly how people can take democratic action.
The vast majority of respondents continued to support democracy as an idea. However, their share fell to 89.3 per cent, dropping below 90 per cent for the first time. The decline was particularly marked in eastern Germany: support there fell from 94.6 per cent in 2024 to 85.7 per cent. In western Germany it rose slightly compared with the previous survey.
A different picture emerges when respondents are asked about the specific system of government. Nationwide, 65.2 per cent supported democracy as set out in the constitution. Two years earlier, the figure had been 72.9 per cent. Just 33.3 per cent were satisfied with how democracy actually works in Germany. The results therefore distinguish between general support for democracy as a form of government, its constitutional framework and people’s experience of political practice.
The study has tracked political attitudes every two years since 2002. For the latest survey, 2,507 people aged 16 and over were interviewed between 16 March and 3 June 2026. Participants needed sufficient German-language skills to complete the questionnaire. The study was conducted in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Otto Brenner Foundation.
According to the researchers’ criteria, 6.9 per cent of respondents held a consistently far-right worldview. In 2022, the figure had been 2.7 per cent. To make this assessment, the research team analyses responses across several dimensions, including antisemitism, the trivialisation of National Socialism and support for a right-wing authoritarian dictatorship. Not every individual attitude followed the same trend: the share expressing xenophobia, as measured by the study, fell from 21.8 to 19.9 per cent compared with 2024.
Psychologist Ayline Heller also warns that surveys may underestimate the extent of antisemitic attitudes. Since such statements are socially sanctioned, openly expressed levels of support should be regarded as a lower bound. This is the co-author’s methodological assessment, not a measurement of the true number of unreported cases.
Sociologist Oliver Decker and Heller argue that specific criticism of social conditions should not be dismissed with a blanket defence of the status quo. In their view, alongside investigating the causes of dissatisfaction, people need a realistic understanding of democratic processes and ideas for a future worth living in.
The survey describes attitudes at a particular point in time; on its own, it does not establish which political measures will change them. It does, however, show that support for democracy as a fundamental idea and confidence in its day-to-day practice are far apart.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).