Democracy study: One-quarter of Germans want a right-wing authoritarian dictatorship

The far-right AfD's electoral successes point to a new trend in Germany: Prejudice, resentment, and extremism are on the rise. A new study suggests satisfaction with democracy is at a low ebb. Satisfaction with democracy in Germany has hit a new low, while the past is being idealized, and people are expressing a longing for a radical break.

The longing for an authoritarian leader and antisemitic sentiments are also on the rise. These are key findings of the authoritarianism study presented Wednesday in Berlin, which has been conducted every two years since 2002. For the first time since the study series began, approval of democracy as an idea fell just below the 90% mark, which, the study said, is primarily attributable to a loss of trust among respondents in the former East Germany (85.7%).

The decline in approval of democracy as experienced in everyday life is even more severe: Nationwide, only one-third are satisfied with democracy, with figures having fallen sharply in both the East (22.8%) and the West (36%).