Polls point to right-wing views on steep rise in Germany

A recent poll has revealed that one in twelve Germans hold extremist right-wing views, which include trivializing the Nazis and their crimes.

As reported by the German Tagessschau, this marks a significant increase compared to the previous survey conducted two years ago by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) and the UADS Institute in Duisburg.

The poll, conducted between January and February this year with just over 2,000 participants, found that 8% of those surveyed could be categorized as far-right, as they expressed agreement with statements like "the influence of the Jews is still too big today" and "the crimes of national socialism have been grossly exaggerated in the writing of history". In the previous survey, only between 2 and 3% of respondents held such views.

The FES noted that the results might underestimate the phenomenon because the interviews were conducted by telephone, which can lead people to moderate their views. The publication further recalls, that there has been a surge in support for the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party across the country.

One of the study's authors, Beate Küpper, attributed the trend to a general sense of uncertainty brought about by factors such as the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine, and global warming, even though many individuals did not feel personally affected by these issues. Küpper also observed that more people in Germany were openly identifying as politically right-wing, and this shift was reflected in the increasing levels of hate crimes being reported.